


Fresh Blood

by Missy_Mew



Category: Game Grumps RPF, Markiplier RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Biting, Blood, Blood Drinking, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Mush, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Markiplier - Freeform, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-19 08:48:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 33,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4740209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy_Mew/pseuds/Missy_Mew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, it turns out Mark is a vampire...it complicates things less than you'd expect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Loving in Vein](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2481458) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account). 



> This isn't part of the 'One Day at a Time' series, but why not give it a try?  
> It's inspired by the AU set up in the awesome story 'Loving in Vein' where Ross is a vampire and Danny is dating him. As soon as I read that, I immediately thought, "what if Ross wasn't the only one?" So cue Mark being an adorable guy who just happens to need drink blood sometimes. 
> 
> As always, comments, constructive criticism and feedback would be most appreciated. Please read and enjoy!

~ * ~

Sometimes you hated your brain...

How was it that something you'd been so excited about was suddenly making you so nervous?

God, you'd only been talking about Mark's visit non-stop for the past few weeks! It was a tiny bit pathetic, but hey, it was the first time he'd come to visit you since you'd moved just over two months ago, and after the recent chaos with your move and Mark's unexpected trip to the hospital, you had just been plain psyched to be seeing him at _all_. 

A weekend chilling out with him sounded wonderful, and honestly, it was nice not having to fly to see him like usual. There was something really cool about the fact that you were so close to him now that a quick drive was all that was keeping you apart, rather that a four hour flight.

It had been one of the main reasons you'd jumped at the chance when your work had first mentioned the position - Pasadena was closer to Los Angeles and closer to Mark, but your timing to move had been terrible, and you'd hardly been able to see him.

The last time you had spent any time with him had been when he'd been in hospital and that sure as hell hadn't been what you'd call a fun trip.

So his visit today was your first chance to catch up properly in _ages_ , and  honestly, it was probably little bit to do with him checking in on you too.

Even though he was the one who'd been in hospital, he'd been really worried about you, since (as hard as it was to admit), you hadn't exactly coped with your move as well as you would have liked.

Your home sickness had been crippling in a way you never would have expected. You'd done your best to keep up a happy face, but you'd always been a terrible liar. Your mom had seen straight through you, but you didn't want to upset her, so you'd been brave and tried to laugh it off. 

But when Mark asked if you were okay, there was just _something_ that made your walls crumble and you'd be helpless to stop the tears.

You'd thought since you'd lived away from home for a few years, you'd be fine, but thing was, you'd moved out of _home_ , but you'd stayed in _Seattle_. You had still been close enough to go home and visit your parents, or casually catch up with friends without too much hassle. 

But you hadn't known anyone in Pasadena, and the separation, the _loneliness_ of living in an apartment on your own had hit you like a ton of bricks.

You'd spoken and Skyped with Mark and your friends and family since your move, but there were still so many times where your tiny apartment felt too big and empty, and you'd felt really...alone.

When you'd visited Mark in hospital in Cincinnati he'd made you promise to try and meet people and arrange a visit back to Seattle, God, he'd even offered to pay for your plane ticket. It had been so typical of him, that we was laying there, weak, miserable and with that awful NG tube, but he was still more worried about you. 

After he was released and you were at his mom's place, he'd even convinced you to call your own mother and admit how hard of a time you'd been having.

_"She's your mom. She'll always be in your corner, and she'd want to know."_

It had been a tearful confession, and your mom had been torn between worry, relief and exasperation. It had made you feel a little better, but the best thing had been the following weekend, when she'd shown up on your doorstep with your sisters and a gaggle of your friends and they'd taken you on a surprise house-warming shopping trip.

And true to your promise to Mark, you'd made more of an effort with your co-workers too, and though you couldn't exactly say you were friends, things did feel friendlier, and you'd suddenly found yourself getting included in more invitations to drinks after work or weekends out.

You were just shy of three months into living in Pasadena and things were finally starting to get better - you still missed Seattle like crazy, but coping was easier.

Pasadena was finally actually starting to feel like _home_.

After all that, when Mark had gotten back to L.A., it had taken him a few weeks, but he'd gotten back on scheduled and finally sorted some time to visit. You'd been absolutely thrilled at the prospect.

'Been', being the key word.

Now you were trying to stop your stomach from churning. It was so _silly._ You had nothing to be worried about. It was just that Mark always went to a real effort to make sure his place was nice when you visited and that you had a great time, so you really wanted to do the same.

Being the first time he'd seen your place too (he'd felt terrible that he couldn't help you move in, but he'd had the few frantic weeks of PAX and South by South West), you wanted him to be impressed. It wasn't like Mark would care, but you'd spent the whole morning cleaning so everything was spotless.

You were in the puttering stage now that everything was clean, and for the past hour, you'd been fluffing cushions, re-straightening things and polishing at non existent stains. A sandalwood scented candle had been burning all morning too, infusing your little apartment it's rich, warm smell. Sandalwood always made you think of Mark; earthy and spicy with that hint of comforting musk.

An ominous rumble of thunder shook you from your thoughts, and your power flickered off for a brief second, then back on again.

Come to California, it's always sunny and warm! Well, tell that to the freak storm they'd forecast for today.

You just hoped Mark would get to your place before it actually hit. Difficult as it was, you'd offered him the out on your visit, but he'd insisted that despite the potential terrible weather, he did still want to come.

" _It's been too long since we've seen each other properly. I can't stay for long, but I'll definitely swing by, okay? I have something I wanted to talk to you about anyway."_

How could you argue with that? You had wondered what he wanted to talk about, but he didn't seem to want to elaborate over Skype.

He wasn't stopping for long today, which had kind of bummed you out - you had hoped he was going to stay over night, but he couldn't. He hadn't said why, but again you hadn't pushed. As much as you didn't want to admit it, it was probably for the best. With the prediction of that severe thunderstorm, along with heavy rain later on in the afternoon, you didn't like the idea of him being on the road. 

The day had started off just a little over cast, but the dark clouds were already starting to roll in, and it had been sprinkling on and off for the past hour or so.

You were mid way through dusting your T.V stand (for the third time) when there was a sharp knock on your door. Quickly throwing your duster aside, you were grinning so hard your cheeks hurt, but as soon as you opened to door, your smile faltered and you felt your heart hit your toes.

Mark looked awful!

"Oh my God, _Mark!_ " You blurted. You reached out to him instinctively, but instantly pulled you hand back when you touched him- he was burning up! His eyes were glassy and his skin was pale. Even his hair seemed less floofy than usual, and he looked totally exhausted.

What on Earth was he doing driving to you like this?! You'd Skyped with him two days ago and he hadn't looked sick at all!

"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" You failed to keep the accusation out of your voice.

"I'm okay, really." He was trying to smile, but it looked like an awful lot of effort. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at you sheepishly.

You actually had to resist the urge to stamp your foot.

"You are _not_ okay!" 

He shook his head, "I wasn't going to miss a chance to see you. I'll be fine. Now, c'mere."

When he pulled you into his chest, you tried to pretend like you didn't notice that his embrace wasn't as strong as usual, or the ridiculous heat radiating from him. You tutted, but put your arms around him and returned the hug. Sick or not, you were still happy to see him.

Gentler, you ran your hands over his back and rested your head on his shoulder. "You dork, we could have done this another time. Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"I will be." Mark promised as breathed into your hair. "I'm heading to the doctor straight after this. Lets just enjoy the time we do have together, okay?" He paused and let you go. "Well, we can't stand here all day. I've been dying to see your place. Can I come in?" 

You knew how much he hated it when people fussed or babied him, so trying to bury your worries, you returned his smile and motioned for him to go inside with an over exaggerated flourish.

"After you."

~ * ~

 

Despite Mark's assurances, you couldn't help but keep casting glances at him and fretting. 

Babying be damned, something wasn't right, and you were rapidly approaching the point where you didn't care how mad Mark got. You knew he was a grown man and that he could take care of himself, but there was a difference between laughingly telling him gulping down thousand scoville hot sauce maybe wasn't the best plan, and showing genuine concern at the fact that he was obviously very unwell. 

The longer the afternoon went on, the more sure you were that there was something really, seriously wrong. His whole countenance was just...off.

It wasn't just his pallor or the short, sharp breaths you occasionally heard him taking, it was...well, it was also the way that he seemed to be avoiding cracking jokes, or playing around, or touching you. It was super confusing, because he'd hugged you at your door, but now he seemed like he didn't want to be near you.

It wasn't as if he was a pervert about it or anything like that, but whenever you'd stayed with him, he'd never keep his hands to himself. He was always someone that communicated through touch with people he trusted, and it was those little touches you were missing now.

Normally, he'd snuggle close to you on the couch and nudge his leg into yours, or curl his arms around your shoulders. But today...there was _nothing_. At first, you'd thought he was just trying not to get you sick with whatever mysterious ailment had struck him down, but it seemed more like he was like he was trying sit as far away from you as possible while still being on the same couch.

It was making your skin itch with anxiety.

You didn't know what had gone wrong, or why he wasn't telling you, but you were having a horrible time and if Mark's silence was any indicator, he didn't seem to be enjoying himself either.

He'd barely even made any commentary on the cheesy movie you had playing on Netflix and he hadn't touched the popcorn you'd made.

You were disappointed and upset and _angry_. Why on earth had Mark even come if he was going to be miserable? You felt like a selfish bitch for being pissed at him for being sick, but you really couldn't help it.

Things hadn't been like this when you'd seen him at the hospital. He'd clung to you like he was afraid you'd vanish. So what was with today? 

Determined to try and break the foul mood, you shuffled a bit closer to him and tried to smile. He seemed to be off in his own little world, so when you tapped his leg, Mark jolted like you'd shocked him and turned to you.

"Hey, so...you said before there was something you wanted to speak to me about?" You could feel the way his leg twitched when you rested your hand on it, and you tried to tell yourself that didn't upset you.

"Oh," he looked down and your hand, and you thought for a terrible second he was going to remove it. "I...Can we talk about it later?"

"Seriously?" Your heart twisted painfully in your chest and you pushed yourself off the couch, clenching your fists at your sides and meeting Mark's bewildered expression with a glare. 

"I know you're sick, and I'm trying not to be a bitch but..." you faltered, "I was really looking forward to seeing you and you're acting like you don't want to be here. Have I....Have I done something wrong?" Your voice was small by the time you'd finished, and at some point, you'd found your eyes glued to the floor.

"No, no, I'm sorry," Mark babbled, "I'm just really not feeling well and -"

"Mark, are you sick?" You pressed, "like,  _really_ sick? Did they find something serious while you were in hospital?"

The silence was awful, but his voice was low when he replied. "No."

Relief flooded you, but it still clashed with frustration and uncertainty.

"Then what is it? Can you _please_ tell me, because I'm totally in the dark here and I don't know what I did wrong."

Mark looked distraught and he ran both his hands through his hair and looked down to the floor. It was strange to see him so intense and worried.

"You haven't done anything, I swear, this is all on me. Shit..." He put his head in his hands and mumbled. "I shouldn't have said anything."

You sat back down, trying to reign your emotions in. You desperately didn't want to fight with him. You were as adult and you were determined to handle it like one. You drew in a deep breath and put both your hands on his knees. He looked up, and he flinched a little again, but you weren't going to be dissuaded.

"Okay, so you're not like, seriously sick, but it's something important?" a little nod. "And you're afraid what you're going to tell me will upset me, right?" There was hesitation, but another little nod followed it. "Please, just tell me. You mentioned it to me for a reason, Mark. Whatever it is, some part of you wanted to talk to me about it."

"Okay...Okay." Mark swallowed hard and looked up at you. "It's just hard to say, you know?"

"Not really, until you tell me." You joked gently, relieved when you saw a little flicker of a smile on his face.

The thunder picked that moment to rumble above you, and the light rain that had been falling all day almost instantly became a heavy downpour, pounding down on your rooftop.

"Mark, you can tell me anything."

Your lights flickered for a moment, but like earlier, blinked back on.

"Okay." He repeated, hesitantly putting his hands on yours and moving closer to you on the couch. It was crazy how much better that made you feel, but Mark's next words destroyed the feeling quickly. "Okay, there isn't really any other way to say this, so I'm just gonna out and say it. I...I'm a vampire."

You stared at him stupidly, and it only took a moment before a hot, sharp lash of anger rocked through you and you wrenched your hands from under his.

"Excuse me?" You spat at him, suddenly unspeakably angry that he would screw around like this. Your hands left his legs, and you pushed yourself off the couch again. "This isn't funny Mark! I've been feeling terrible all day, and you come out with _that_ as your excuse?"

How could he joke like this? You'd spent the whole afternoon feeling awful, and he was saying stupid shit like that?

You glared at him, hard and furious, but he didn't rise to the challenge.

Expression resigned he said softly, "I can prove it."

"Go ahead," you scoffed.

There was so much hurt and _disappointment_ in his eyes, but he didn't hesitate to bare his teeth at you and meet your scathing expression...

And you watched as his top and bottom canines _elongated_.

As quickly as your fury has risen up, pure terror replaced it, and you staggered back and away from the couch. Your legs failed you though, and you fell on your ass with an inelegant shriek.

"Ohmigod!" You blurted, "what the fuck? What the actual _fuck?!_ "

You ignored the pain that radiated up you back and stared at Mark, trying desperately to make sense of everything.

Mark's expression instantly filled with regret, and he closed his mouth. But when he spoke you could still see flashes of...Holy shit, they couldn't be called anything _but_...fangs.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was a really shitty way to tell you. I had all these plans rehearsed in my mind and I..."

His words were a million miles away.

Your boyfriend had _fangs._

Jesus, two minutes ago you'd been terrified we was going to tell you that he had cancer.

But no, he had _fangs_.

His chocolate eyes met yours, and he gently came to kneel in front of you. You couldn't help but recoil, and despite everything, the flash of pain in his eyes made you feel sick. "Please, please. I won't hurt you, I swear. Just...Just let me explain properly, _please._ "

It took you two attempts to stand - you still felt like your legs were made of jelly.

Holy _shit_ , what the hell had you just seen?

"Come...sit in the kitchen." You mumbled, wringing your hands.

Yes, the kitchen was good - you could sit at your table and have space between you.

Mark headed into your little kitchen, and you followed behind him, silent and stunned.

Fingers trembling, you made yourself a drink - more to keep your hands busy than because you wanted the drink - then you sat across the table from him. You didn't even think to offer him one.

The instant you sat, Mark started fidgeting. It was bizarre to see him so nervous. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands either, and he kept shooting you tentative little glances.

When you dared to glance at him, he was back to normal. He'd put his fangs...away.

God, you were still struggling to wrap your head around the idea, and you had so many questions, but your tongue felt thick in your mouth.

Thunder boomed above you again, closer this time, as the rain drummed down.

The silence between you was petrifying, until Mark broke it with a sigh.

"So...I guess I should start at the beginning, right?" He didn't look at you as he spoke. "I was born a vampire. Well, I'm technically half vampire. My dad was human, but my mom's a vampire. How do you think she looked so young for her age?" He cracked a small smile, but his grin quickly faltered. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, my brother and I, we're both the same. We drink blood, but we usually only need it once every few days."

"How...how do you get it? The blood, I mean?" Your mind flooded, filled with flashes of violence and terror. Your fingers tightened around your mug involuntarily. "Do you-" you felt like you couldn't get enough air in your lungs and your voice was so tiny when you mustered up the guts to finish the question. "Do you _kill_ people?"

Horror crossed Mark's face as he looked up for the first time. "What? No! Of course not!" Quieter, "you think I could  _do_  something like that?"

"I don't know!" You snapped, defensive despite the insanity of the situation. Then softer, "I don't know."

"Well, I don't attack people. I never have, and I hope I never will. There are some of us who have feeders that give us blood, but the rest of us, my family included, get donor blood from hospitals. It's not ideal, but it's better than hurting people. We have networks of doctors that help us get it and distribute it to everyone that needs it."

"There are enough of you that you need to do that?" you asked incredulously. "How many...vampires are there?"

It still felt so surreal.

Mark gave you an even stare. "There are a lot of us, but who, and where they are isn't my secret to say."

"Oh." You looked at your now tepid drink - you hadn't taken a single sip.

"We all try not to hurt people. There are a few crazies out there, but most of us just want to be left alone and cause as little trouble as possible."

"I'm so confused." You admitted. "I've seen you eat and go out in the sun, and...and you're sick now! If you're a vampire, aren't things like that...not supposed to happen?"

Mark snorted. "Most of that sort of thing is just crazy myths. One," he held his fingers out to count off, "eating is awesome, and food tastes good. I can have both food and blood. Garlic doesn't hurt me either. And I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly spend heaps of time in the sun if I can help it, but I can go out without getting hurt or turning into dust or anything crazy like that. I can obviously still get hurt, but I heal pretty quickly. A stake to the heart would kill me, but I think that would hurt _anyone_."

"I guess." You said faintly. 

His expression got darker. "As for getting sick, my human half is still pretty vulnerable, especially when I haven't had blood in a while. Silver...hurts me too." Mark shuddered but pressed on. "And no, I don't sleep in a coffin, you've _seen_ my bed. Also I can't turn into a bat, though that would be pretty cool."

You tried to process the information, begging your brain to put the pieces together, but it was like thinking through molasses.

"So, are you sick now because you need..." You couldn't finish the sentence.

"Blood?" Mark exhaled softly, gathering himself. "Yeah, I haven't had blood in a while and it makes me weak. It's...where I'm heading after my visit with you. I need to pick up my supply." He looked ashamed at the admission.

"Will you be better after that?"

"Yeah, it will...help." He said quietly. He looked down at his hands again and you fell into awkward silence. "I wish I didn't, but I...I need it."

What did you even _say_ to something like that?

Luckily you didn't have to think of a response because the thunder chose that moment to rumble so loudly it shook your windows. Lightning crackled above you, and before you could say anything, your power blinked in and out twice before it gave completely. With how gloomy it was outside, it instantly cast the room into darkness. 

"Shit! I'll go get some candles." The one ambient sandalwood candle you'd had burning wasn't going to be enough. Ridiculously glad for the distraction, you fumbled in your kitchen, familiar enough that you could mostly find your way to where you kept your emergency stuff. Fishing out a few chunky plain white candles and your lighter, you plonked them into a few of your crappier mugs and lit them quickly.

"I...I should probably get going." Mark murmured quietly. He still hadn't looked up from his hands, or gotten up from the table "I need to-"

But Mark was cut off when rain started to _bucket_ down on your rooftop.

Jesus, it had been heavy enough before, but this was crazy!

"Shit!" He cursed, pushing himself out of the chair. "I need to go."

"What? No! It's _pouring_ , Mark, please! You'll have an accident if you try to drive in this." The rain was so loud you had to raise your voice to be heard above it.

"I'll be fine." He insisted, but you could hear the waver of doubt in his voice. "I have to get going. I _can't_ stay. It...It's probably for the best that I go anyway. I just dropped a pretty huge bombshell on you after all."

"Bombshell or not, I can't-"

"I _have_ to go." Mark growled, his eyes clenching shut. " _Please."_

"Mark, it's okay." You said quietly, daring to take a step toward him. The candle flickered from your movement, casting it's glow on Mark's pale face. "You can stay here until the rain stops, or at least until it lets up enough that you can drive without wrapping your car around a tree." You hesitated for a second, but then you put your hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You said you don't hurt people, and I believe you."

He seemed surprised by the touch and that was just a little heart breaking. He looked so unsure and you felt your heart clench again.

"Just stay and rest for a bit. Seriously, it's okay." 

"Do you really mean that?" He asked softly. You nodded.

As weird as it was, and as scared as you were, you did mean that at least. You couldn't send him away, not like this.

"Maybe...just until the rain lets up." He said weakly, looking out the window as he put his clammy hand over yours.

 

~ * ~

 

You sure as hell hadn't wanted him to drive in the terrible weather, but you hadn't really thought that far ahead about what you were actually going to _do_ with Mark staying.

It was _so_ painfully awkward.

Neither of you had spoken a word since you'd left the kitchen, and that had been nearly two hours ago.

The rain was still pouring without any sign of letting up. If anything, it seemed to be getting even heavier, and other than the faint flicker of the candles, the only thing that had been lighting the room had been the frequent forks of lightning since the power still hadn't come back on.

You'd never seen a storm like it. You'd really hoped the rain would pass quickly so Mark could go. He hadn't said anything, but he didn't need to...It was obvious he wasn't doing so well.

No, that was an understatement.

It was obvious he was getting _worse._

He was sitting in your lounge room, looking much smaller than he should, slumped listlessly in one of your recliners. He'd been looking at his phone for a while, but he seemed to even have given up on that. You tried to tell yourself that it was just your imagination, but he seemed to be sinking further into the chair with every passing second.

"Hey, Mark are you...alright?"  
  
It was a stupid question, and you instantly hated yourself for asking it. What you hated even more was how faint his voice was when he answered...

"Fine. I think I'll just go sleep. Can you show me to your spare room?"

No, no, no, this was all wrong!

But, "Sure, come with me." was what you said instead.

Grabbing one of the candles that was burning in the candle holder, you led him to the room and pushed the door open.

Wordlessly, he walked past you and flopped onto the bed. Your heart caught in your throat. This was _awful_. In all the time you'd been dating, you'd never felt like you couldn't talk to him, but now, everything seemed like the wrong thing to say.

"Mark-"

"Wake me when the rain stops, and then I'll go, okay?" Pressed into the pillow as his face was, his voice was muffled, but you still heard the misery in it.

Blinking back tears, you put the candle you'd been carrying on the night stand and whispered a soft "okay" before you closed the door behind you and left the room.

That had been over an hour ago.

After you'd left Mark, you'd tried desperately to read a book to try and distract yourself, but it was totally useless - it hadn't taken more than fifteen minute before you'd tossed it aside in disgust and taking to pacing your floor instead.

The rain was  _still_ relentlessly pounding onwards, cruel and uncaring about your plight.

There were just so many _questions_...

Mark had answered the basics, sure, but where did his revelation leave _you?_

How did you even process all this information, and where on earth did you go from here?

You were dating a vampire!

Were you insane?

Were you _afraid?_

How hadn't you known?

Before today, whenever you'd spoken to anyone, you'd always described Mark as a kind, wonderful, funny, goofy guy. Oh, he had a serious side, but you hadn't _really_ seen it until tonight.

What did all this actually change?

Well, he drank blood, but...was there _really_ anything else?

He was still the man you thought he was; the one who sent you silly texts when you felt upset, and acted like a complete goober, and could watch Spongebob for hours on end. And he was still the man who'd raised thousands for charity, made millions of people happy, and never hesitated to try and help anyone that he could.

Vampire or not, he was a _good_ man.

What you'd learned today didn't erase that, it didn't.

It _couldn't_.

It didn't change the hours he spent talking to you, low and soft and so comforting as you cried about how much you missed Seattle.

It didn't change how wonderful and _warm_ his fingers felt as they traced loving lines along you hips, and it didn't change how much it _hurt_ that he was pulling away from you.

You mind kept looping back to the thought that he'd _wanted_ to tell you this massive secret. Knowing what it could have cost him, _knowing_  you'd have been terrified out of your mind, he'd still told you. Even though you weren't sure _why_ he wanted you to know, the fact that he did told you something.

You couldn't help but wonder if he had been through this before, telling someone and having to deal with their fear and rejection and questions. He _must_ have.

You couldn't help but wonder how many other people knew besides his mom and his brother.

You were sure you weren't the only one.

You weren't naive or arrogant enough to think that you were the first girl he'd told either.

Had they been just as afraid and confused as you? Was that...was that why his relationships had ended in the past?

Did _you_ want to end your relationship with him?

No.

No, life without him would be empty and so sad, it almost didn't bear thinking about. 

If he hadn't revealed his secret, you could have carried on, blissfully ignorant for who knows how long. You'd been with him for nearly a year, and in all that time, he'd never hurt you, or given you any reason to be afraid. He'd always treated you like you were made of glass - you'd thought it was because he was naturally a pretty strong guy and you'd never really read into it beyond that. It made more sense now though.

But even though he had this nature inside of him, and he'd had multiple opportunities to hurt you, he never had. He'd always been so tender and gentle.

Through the whirl of confusion, a little smile curled your lips up.

He loved you.

And despite everything, you _still_ loved him.

That was what mattered.

That was _all_ that mattered.

Everything else, you could work out later.

You were lurching towards your spare room before you thought too hard about it, wanting to tell him, but when you got to the door, everything juddered to a halt because Mark was  _crying_.

Oh...

 _Oh_...

It was quiet, but there was no mistaking it.

Hot tears pricked in your own eyes, and you blinked them back as guilt welled up in your chest.

You couldn't - no - you didn't _want_ to leave him alone another second.

Carefully, you pushed the door open and stepped inside. 

Mark hadn't moved from where he'd initially collapsed onto the bed. Face still buried in the pillow, you could hear his sobs and see the subtle shift in his shoulders as he wept.

Creeping over to your spare bed, your hand hovered, only hesitant for a second before you ran your fingers through his hair gently and whispered his name.

The second you reached out to him, he seized like your touch was a thousand volts.

Flipping over and sitting up with a strangled noise, he stared at you with wide, frightened eyes. 

Even in the soft glow of candle light, you could see how awful he looked. Skin ashen, dark circles under his eyes, shirt sopping with perspiration and cheeks damp, he looked like he'd aged ten years in the hours he'd been alone.

He looked...

Oh, God. 

He looked like he was _dying_ and you felt your throat get tight.

For all you knew, maybe he was.

What had he said earlier? 

_"I haven't had blood in a while and it makes me weak."_

" _I...I need it._ "

Holy shit, would he actually _die_ if he didn't get blood?

"What are you doing in here!" He cried hoarsely, swiping at his face and shimmying up the bed and away from you. "You need to get out! I can smell you. I-I can't-" He gathered the blankets up around him, as if they could protect him.

Your heart seemed to be breaking anew every second - the thought that _he_ was afraid of _you_ was sobering.

"I love you." You said, as if that explained everything.

He blinked at you incredulously, fisting your sheets nervously, "I don't understand."

Strangely calm, even though your heart was hammering against your ribs, you sat slowly and shuffled towards him on the bed, your eyes never leaving his.

"I love you." You repeated. "And I'm terrified, but I _love_ you. I want to help you. You said earlier that you hadn't ever, but that you _could_ drink someone's blood. Will you drink mine? It would help you, right?"

"What?" He gaped, "please, don't mess around with this!" He begged, his voice pitching with fear. "You aren't thinking straight."

"No, you're wrong. From the moment you told me, all I've been doing is thinking." You reached out, not dissuaded when he pulled backwards. "And I've thought about the man who I thought you were before tonight, and I realised you're still that same man, Mark. What you told me, it's scary as shit, and I don't understand it, but it doesn't change _who_ you are, not to me. You already said you don't attack people, and I believe you. God knows I've slept beside you enough nights without you hurting me. I'm not going to run until you give me a reason to." 

"But it _will_ hurt you." He croaked weakly. You shook your head. A last desperate line, but you had already made up your mind. This time when you moved closer, he didn't pull away.

"I don't care, this is hurting me worse. And you told me blood will make it better, so why can't it be mine? The rain isn't showing any signs of stopping, and you said you _needed_ blood. I'm scared for you, I'm scared of what will happen if you don't have some."

"But..."

"Mark." Firm, resolute, and more sure than you had ever been, you stared him down. "Is you taking my blood going to turn me into a vampire?" He shook his head. "Is it going to kill me, or do me any permanent harm?" He shook his head again. "And will it make you better?" There was a pause, then the tiniest of nods.

" _Yes_." He whispered. "You have no idea."

"Then we can talk about the rest in the morning. You'd do the same for me, so let me do this for you."

He let you cup his clammy cheeks and you leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his sweaty forehead.  

"Please Mark, tell me what I need to do."

There was a few seconds of his laboured breathing before he let go of the sheets and finally spoke quietly.

"Come closer and help me sit up."

Shuffling further up so you were kneeling between his legs and facing him, you helped him up so he was leaning against the headboard.

"Now...give me your wrist."

Without any hesitation, you held out your arm, though you couldn't help but be curious. "Not my neck?"

He chuckled weakly. "No, wrist is better, if you need to try to pull away. I've...I've never fed from a person before so I don't know what will happen."

"Mark, it'll be  _fine_." You weren't sure the line was more for your benefit or his. 

Pulling you closer, Mark stared at you, more serious than you had ever seen him. 

"Last chance." He whispered, his voice dipping deeper, even as he drew your wrist to his nose and sniffed at it, just above the throb of your pulse. He rotated your palm so it was facing him, and your hand pointed slightly up at a diagonal. It was an odd angle, but not so uncomfortable that you couldn't deal with it.

Your heart was beating a thundering gallop in your chest, but you pushed the fear down. His pallid appearance reinforced why you were doing it, and you nodded sharply, before you lost your resolve.

"I'm sure."

Mark nodded in response. Snuffling at your wrist, he inhaled deeply again and swallowed hard.

You closed your eyes and tried to breathe deep and relax, but it was impossible.

Pained, reverent and apologetic all at once, he whispered a soft "I love you" before he tilted his head, extended his fangs, and descended upon your wrist.

You felt the sharp jolt shudder from your wrist up to your elbow as his fangs punctured your delicate skin.

As hard as you tried not to, you couldn't help but whimper and tense up - it _hurt_. You winced and looked away, jamming your eyes shut and willing yourself not to cry.

The pain dulled quickly though, to your surprise. Already, the intensity was fading to a faint sting. It kind of reminded you of having blood drawn at the doctors - a short, piercing jab, an initial wrench of pain, then, just numbness.

Even though it has only been a few seconds, it wasn't really hurting any more, it just felt...weird.

You could _feel_ Mark sucking at your skin, and hear him swallowing and grunting as he drank. If that wasn't strange enough, there was the warm wiggling sensation of his tongue on your skin too,  and you had to fight the urge to squirm - it didn't exactly feel _good_ , but you couldn't say it felt _bad_ either. It was just _odd_.

When you dared to open your eyes and look at him, his eyes were shut and he was breathing heavily through his nose - his brows dipped in an expression that looked caught between rapture and concentration.

Mark groaned, and when his grip tightened, pressing on your arm as if he was trying to squeeze more blood out, you felt a tiny spike of fear - caught up in the moment and in your panic for him, you hadn't thought to ask how much he actually _needed_ to drink.

That suddenly seemed liked a rather large oversight on your part. For all that you had said you trusted him - and you did - a bit more of an understanding would have probably been a good idea.

You wondered if he would stop on his own.

As long as he'd been going, you weren't feeling dizzy or anything like that, but it had already been a few minutes and worry was starting to creep in...

Hesitant, you let the hand he wasn't feeding from move up to run through his hair, just to bring him back, to remind him you were there. He'd said your wrist was better if you had to try and pull away, but you didn't want to. He needed to come out of it himself.

But he hadn't stopped.

"Mark..." You murmured, feeling the first tingling of your fingers starting to go numb. "Mark, please."

He groaned again, and taking one last languid gulp, he withdrew his fangs from your wrist and pressed a gentle kiss to the heel of your palm. His lips were stained with blood - _your_ blood - and you watched, morbidly fascinated as he lapped at the wound. Dim as the candlelight was, you could _feel_ the attention he was giving your injured wrist more than you could see it.

"My saliva will uh...help it clot and heal." He said softly, almost sounding embarrassed.

"Okay." You whispered, unable to look away when he pulled back fully and his fangs shrank back into being regular canines.

After a few minutes, he stopped his licking and pressed another sweet kiss above his bite.

Deliberately, you slowly moved your hand away and turned it over - You were determined not to look at it tonight. You were sure it wasn't pretty, but that wasn't what was important right now.

"Do you feel better?" You asked softly.

Mark was utterly still for a moment, then he rans his hands over his face and sighed. He laughed, a hollow little sound as he leant forward and rested his head on your shoulder, his hands finding your hips, as if he wanted to touch you to make sure you were still there.

"I wish I didn't, I wish I could say no. I feel so bad, but God, that was amazing. The _taste_..." his voice was choked, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't, okay?" You said firmly, cupping his face and gently forcing him to look at you.

"But-"

"Shhh, we can talk in the morning."

"Will you be here when I wake up?" That fear was back in his voice.

"Of course I will, I live here." You tried to joke, but it fell flat and you felt his hands tighten their grip on you when you let him go.

You knew that wasn't what he meant.

You thought for a second, then turned to blow out the candle. The room fell into total darkness, and you gave him a little nudge so you could shuffle onto the bed properly.

"Scoot over."

When he hesitated, you nudged him again and his little snort of laughter felt like a victory, however small. Moving so you were laying beside him, half sitting up like he was, you kissed his scratchy cheek then rested your head on his shoulder. 

He was sweaty and gross, and your wrist was aching, but you didn't care. 

He  _needed_  comfort, he  _needed_  to know you weren't just lying when you said you still loved him and that it really was okay. And hell, you needed it too. All you'd wanted all day was for Mark to hold you, so when his arm snaked around you, you snuggled into him right away.

"I love you." He whispered, nuzzling into your hair.

"I love you too." 

You sat in silence, his arm warm and solid as it drew you against him. There was so much to say, but for now, you were content to just be like this.

Even with your blood, it didn't take long before Mark was asleep, head lolled to the side as he breathed deeply. It proved how exhausted he actually was. His neck was probably going to ache in the morning, but you didn't dare disturb him.

Your wrist throbbed dully, but the pain was distant. Again, you wondered what the bite looked like, but you couldn't make it out in the inky darkness of the room. 

Rain still pelted down angrily on your rooftop, but the thunder and lightning had stopped. 

Mark sighed softly and murmured in his sleep. 

Despite everything, you felt a hot swell of affection for him.

You were sure you should have felt afraid but you just...weren't. Maybe that made you some kind of freak, but you  _loved_  him. You didn't want to break up with him. And it was like you'd told him; as long as he didn't hurt anyone, or give you a  _reason_  to be afraid of him, you just couldn't be.

You felt your own eyelids getting heavy, probably as drowsy from the blood loss as much as the emotional exhaustion.  Drawing up the blankets, you laid back against Mark and let the heavy rain and his soft breathing lull you to sleep...

 

It was still raining when you woke up, but it was a soft misting drizzle rather than the relentless downpour it had been last night. 

Warm and content, it took a few moments before the memories of yesterday and last night cut through the mental fog.

Your neck popped and you winced slightly as you fully sat up and stretched to take a good look at Mark.

His skin was the right colour, and the circles under his eyes were gone. He looked like _himself_ again, and when you put your hand on his cheek, he wasn't anywhere near as warm and clammy as he had been.

Thank God.

He mumbled softly at your touch, but didn't wake up. 

Your wrist twinged with a little flicker of pain, and shooting an almost guilty look to Mark's still sleeping face, you slowly rotated your arm so you could study where he'd bitten you.

If there was any doubt about the whole vampire thing, it had to be thrown out the window now. Mark had drunk your blood last night, and yes, it had helped him, but it had also left some rather indisputable evidence in the form of an  _enormous_ bite. 

Jesus Christ! It wasn't like most vampire movies where they showed two innocent little pinpricks.

Nope, this was more like a dog bite crossed with a hickey bruise. An almost perfect circle of angry inflammation was surrounded by four large holes where his top and bottom canines had pierced your skin.

It was so much larger than you'd initially thought - It had obviously faded a little over night, but it was still livid.

Looking at it critically, you had to admit it was worse than you'd been expecting, but at least it didn't really hurt.

Experimenting, you rolled your wrist and clenched your fingers into and out of a fist a few times. Nasty as it looked, it hadn't injured you beyond the superficial damage. The tingling in your fingers last night was totally gone. Even poking at the sealed puncture wounds of Mark's fangs didn't provoke any more of a response than any normal cut.

You wondered how long it would take to heal. 

Shifting in the bed, you winced as Mark stirred and mumbled under his breath, his long lashed fluttering open as he stared at you blearily.

You wondered if he was going to fall back asleep, but no such luck.

Those gorgeous chocolate eyes, now full of their usual spark, just  _stared_  at you for a few seconds. Blinking sleepily, clarity came into his expression and he looked at you with surprise. 

"You're...you're still here."

"Of course. I told you I would be." Your shuffled closer to him. "You look much better. How do you feel?" 

He stared at you silently, then put his arms around you and drew you into his chest, almost painful as he pulled you into the crushing embrace.

"I love you so much." He whispered against your neck. "I can't believe you're still here."

Trailing your fingers against his bare shoulders, you let him hold you. 

 "I _told_ you I would be." You said softly. 

 After a few moment, he pulled back and studied you intensely, suddenly nervous.

"Does your wrist hurt much?"

You shook your head. "It looks a lot worse than how it feels."

"Will you show me?"

"Promise me you won't freak out?"

Mark's eyes widened before he blurted a startled laugh. "Seriously, _you're_ asking _me_ that?"

"Well, it _looks_ pretty bad."

Gently, he grabbed your arm and turned it so he could look at like you had. His face went through several expressions, - fear, anger, guilt - before it settled on sympathy. His fingers ghosted across the bite and he sighed.

"I didn't think it would be so big. You're _sure_ it doesn't hurt?"

You reprayed the checks you'd done yourself,  making a fist with your fingers and rolling your wrist, then smiled at him a little.

"See? All good. It hurt when you did it, but now it feels okay. It just looks ugly."

Mark winced, but he let your arm go. You didn't waste the chance to curl into him, and his fingers wound themselves into your hair.

"I really am sorry, for what it's worth." He murmured, kissing the top of your head.

"You don't need to be." You sighed. "I'd do it for you again."

Mark was quiet, but you felt his arms tighten around you all the same.

 

~ * ~

 

It was weird how little Mark's revelation actually changed. The only different conversation you really had was that now when he started to look run down, you (lovingly) lectured him that he needed to have blood, rather than telling him he needed to sleep or take better care of himself.

Mark had been tentative at first, probably afraid you'd run, or change your mind, but you kept reassuring him that you weren't going anywhere, and after a few weeks, his fears had settled.

You were insanely curious about the whole vampire thing, and Mark had always answered your questions. You hadn't been able to stop yourself from doing a little research on the side too. Most of it was obviously crap - myths and Hollywood fakery that Mark just laughed at. Apparently some vampires really got their panties in a twist about it, but Mark just shrugged it off.

It was faster to ask Mark anyway, since there was always some new question that crossed your mind.

Like, how much blood did he need when he drank?

_(At least a pint, but it depended on how drained he was - sometimes when he was really exhausted, it was almost two)_

Did different blood types taste different?

_(Yeah, but not noticeably. He'd heard that feeders blood sometimes tasted tainted by drugs or alcohol, but blood from donors was usually pretty clean tasting. Your blood had tasted much better than anything he'd had from a blood bag)_

What was the difference between him and his mom if she was a "full" vampire?

_(She aged a lot slower, and she needed blood more often than Mark or Tom did)_

If a bite didn't change you, then how did someone become a vampire?

_(You were either born one, or you could be turned by drinking a vampires blood)_

Would he drink from you again?

_(...)_

Now, _that_ was one issue he skirted around.

The little you'd gotten him to talk about it, he'd said drinking your blood was like the difference between eating a home cooked meal and a T.V dinner; apparently, they didn't really compare. You'd laughed, but he'd gotten this odd expression.

_"Drinking from a blood bag, it satisfies the need, but when I drank from you, shit, it tasted so amazing. I've never felt - or tasted - anything like that."_

You'd told him you didn't mind if he drank from you again - you knew what you were in for now, so it wasn't as scary as the first time. Mark had looked at you with shock and stumbled over a half-ass excuses before he'd quickly changed the subject. 

You were a little surprised. Maybe you hadn't been introduced to him needing blood under the best circumstances, but you more comfortable about it all now, and you'd thought he'd be a bit more enthused about the prospect. He'd said your blood tasted amazing, so surely he wanted to, right?

And it hadn't taken long for your wrist to heal. True to his word, there hadn't been any lasting damage from his bite.

Yeah, it had been a little scary at first, but honestly, you liked how it helped him. There was something about it which made you feel really _connected_ to him, special, almost. 

Weird as it was, you couldn't help but think about it.

Like, _a lot_.

You _wanted_ to do it for him...

It was just because you loved him.

Or maybe there was just something really fucked up and wrong with you that you wanted something like that?

You didn't want to make him feel like him being a vampire was a huge deal, but at the same time, you didn't want to pretend that it wasn't a thing.

You wanted him to be able to be himself, _all_ of himself. You wanted to prove that you weren't going to treat him differently and that you wanted him in _every_ way you could possibly have him.

But, as much as you wanted it, you hadn't even known where to start when it came to broaching that subject, especially when Mark said he wanted a fun, _normal_ weekend together when he'd organised for you to visit.

But what even was normal nowadays? _Your_ definition of it had certainly been turned upside down.

You were looking forward to spending a few days with him, and you were determined to have the 'I want to be your feeder' discussion with him, no matter what.

The trip wasn't all fun, games and potentially awkward discussions though. You did have another reason for heading to L.A., since Mark had thrown your name at Danny to help him and Brian with some draft layout designs for the release of the Attitude City album.

When Mark had first suggested you working with Danny, you'd been a little tentative - you were almost positive that Danny had only said 'yes' to the meeting since you were Mark's girl, but you were determined to try and do a good job regardless. Danny _had_ seemed interested when you'd Skyped with him and Brian to get a brief of what they were after, but you weren't sure if that was for show.

You'd gotten to know all the Grumps since Mark worked with them, but you'd always tried to stay out of Mark's work. You liked games, sure, but you weren't interested in being on his Youtube. Suzy had tried to talk you into it, but you already had enough on your plate, and being in front of the camera wasn't really your thing.

Besides it was opening a whole can of worms that would be a hundred times crazier that when Mark had revealed to his fans that he was dating someone. As awesome as the majority of his community was, you shuddered to think of the trouble that would happen if you _dared_ to appear in any of his videos. There was always comments and curiosity, but Mark had been firm in the fact that you wanted to keep your identity private.

You were happy watching and just being a subscriber, thank you very much.

You'd already made Mark promise he wasn't going to try and say anything to sway the guys - Danny had every right to reject what you showed to him, and you weren't going to take it personally.

No, friendships aside, today Danny was your potential client and you were going to treat the meeting seriously. It would only be Danny, since Brian was in London, but if Danny approved of your designs, the plan was to send them through to Brian too.

You wanted to do a good job, and earn the work on your own merits. The few times you'd spoken to Danny, he seemed like a pretty nice guy, so you didn't want him to feel that he had to tell you yes just because he didn't want to upset you or Mark.

You'd already listened to Starbomb before since Mark had featured in one of their songs, but not Ninja Sex Party, so you'd bought their albums in preparation while you sat and sharpened your portfolio and put together your mock-ups.

You'd never worked on a project like this before, but that was what made it interesting.

While you couldn't complain since it paid your bills, working in advertising and logo design could get a little on the mind numbing side. The last time you'd done anything this creative had been when you'd been completing your degree and you'd gotten to experiment and play around

Those were the days...

Maybe it was the fact that the songs they had planned for the Attitude City album city were playing the background, but you couldn't remember the last time you'd smiled so much while you were working.

Parody stuff wasn't usually your thing, but Danny actually had a great voice and the fact that the music was awesome had won you over. Immature as it was, most of the jokes made you laugh.

By the time you'd finished, you'd ended up with ten different versions of potential covers, all with different fonts and colours and poses. Like their previous covers, the guys wanted a photo of themselves, so you'd gotten inspiration from the various Attitude City clips on Youtube and drawn a few pictures of them as place holders.

Now, _that_ had been flexing skills you hadn't used for a while. You couldn't remember the last time you'd sat down and doodled anything for fun. You were a little rusty, but in the end, the guys looked well enough like themselves that you were pleased. Sitting and sketching had been awesome, and colouring and editing the images in photoshop had come back to you like it was second nature.

Why had you stopped drawing again?

In the end, you'd had three favourites out of the bunch - Ninja Brian and Danny back to back in their leather 'tough guy' outfits from the clip (the spiked bracer had been a nightmare), Danny in his eighties pink spandex with Brian giving the double middle fingers with his patented glare, and the boys in their ridiculous medieval costumes.

You were actually pretty proud of how well they had turned out, but it wasn't _your_ choice. You could work on something for hours, only to have your client reject it in ten seconds - you'd been _there_ before. No, preparation and flexibility were the name of the game,  so you'd put everything on your laptop so you could play around with the images real time if Danny had any critiques - it was Danny's call after all.

 

~ * ~

 

INTERLUDE - _Earlier that morning.._

 

For the most part, Dan Avidan was  _not_ an early riser. He liked his late nights and his lazy mornings, tucked warm and cosy under his blankets, thank you very much.

He could, however, be roused if the reason was a good enough, and the enthusiastic way his boyfriend was sucking him off sure as hell qualified as a _damn_ good reason to be awake.

"Fuck, _Ross._ " Danny moaned, hands curling into the sheets as he clung to them with a death grip.

Danny loved Ross weaving his fingers into his mop of hair when he was blowing him, but when Ross was giving him oral, he _hated_ Danny touching his head.

To be fair, it was only because the Australian was afraid he'd hurt him with his fangs, but the lankier man had been left hard and begging more than once when he'd defied _that_ particular rule - sadist he was, Ross wasn't afraid to stop mid beej if Danny outright broke it, so the older man knew better now.

Speaking of _fangs_ , Danny keened - a ridiculously high, girlish noise - but he literally gave no fucks, because, Christ _, Ross' fangs had just grazed his cock_ and it had sent a jolt of electricity from the head of his dick to the tips of his toes.

Ross pulled away, just long enough to look up at Danny and give him a shit-eating grin, before he sunk down once more, slowly and deliberately running his elongated canines against Danny's swollen shaft again.

Danny arched of the bed with a whine, then gasped, "Oh, God, oh, shit, Ross! Fucking _fuck!_ "

Sucking harder, Ross pinned Danny's thighs to the bed in a rare show of his unexpected strength.

Every sound, every sensation, felt amplified for Ross when his fangs came out. Like, he could Danny's heart hammering, the thrum of blood through his veins, and the _taste_...

As if Danny's blood didn't already taste amazing,  the rush, the _euphoria_ of orgasm, made it even sweeter, and Ross wants to taste that as much as he wants to taste his boyfriends come.

"Ross, Ross, _Ross!_ " Danny's voice was a chanting musical sob, and when Ross nibbled at the head of Danny's dick, it was the last straw.

The older man  _wailed_ and shuddered, his hot, salty release flooding Ross' mouth. The instant he's swallowed everything, Ross was off of his boyfriends softening cock and sinking his teeth into Danny's thigh, feeding like he'd die if he didn't.

He felt Danny's little wince - it would always hurt, no matter how often he bit him, or how gentle he tried to be - but then Danny  let out his little hum-sigh noise, voice soft with pleasure.

Sexbang reputation aside, Danny hadn't really considered himself a kinky guy until he'd started dating a vampire, but wow, he got off on being bitten.

Probably more than was considered healthy, but fuck it. Danny had long given up on caring about doing anything except what made him happy. He'd wasted too many years being stoned and disconnected from the world to spend another second worrying about people judging him.

Danny brushed his hand tenderly across Ross' cheek, giving another one of those musical sighs.

And shit, Ross wasn't one for sentimentality, but sometimes he wondered what he'd done to deserve someone like Danny. He was nerdy, yet hot as hell, crazy talented and sweet, and was horny as fuck about the whole vampire thing.

Ross had already decided he wasn't _ever_ letting him go.

Nose pressed to Danny's thigh, Ross could sense the pulse of his femoral artery, and he groaned as his mouth filled with glorious, rich blood. It was so routine now - fuck then feed - that Ross knew exactly when he'd hit his limit of how much blood he could take and he easily resisted the urge to over indulge.

It hadn't hurt either that he'd drunk from Danny last night - suckling lovingly from his neck as he fucked him from behind - but even so, that first spark across his tongue got him _every_ time.

Ever since Danny had become his feeder, the stale, sterile taste of microwaved blood bags were a long distant memory.

God, he was already super hot from getting Danny off, so when his hand snuck down to his own aching erection, it only took a few pumps before Ross was grunting and coming hard, even as he kept feeding. 

Danny was watching him lazily through half lidded eyes, and Christ, Ross could already feel himself getting hard again - the blood rush did tend to have that _bonus_ effect - but considering how hard he'd pounded Danny last night, he figured his poor boyfriend could probably use a rest. 

Ross couldn't help it though. It was winter, and he always got a little over excited when it was cold or rainy weather was forecast since it meant Danny would have an excuse to cover his neck.

The blood from the neck, now _that_ was the best and it was a special treat to savour, especially when Danny had such a gorgeous neck, long and slim with such soft skin...

He was so addicted to Danny it wasn't even funny.

Usually, Ross restrained himself to Dan's leg or wrist since they were easy to conceal. As quickly as the bites healed, Ross couldn't deny that the looked pretty ugly and intense, and he was sure that the rest of the Grumps would notice if Danny turned up to work looking like he'd literally been mauled. They weren't really something you couldn't just pass off as a hickey, and some of the lamer excuses (rashes and reactions and shrugs of their shoulders) were starting to wear thin.

But winter, shit, that was basically a free for all, and any chance he had to have a go at Danny's neck, well, he just couldn't pass it up.

Willing his already renewed erection down, Ross focused on massaging at Danny's leg to stimulate the blood flow until he was finally sated.  Gently withdrawing his fangs, he lapped at the angry wound, helping the nasty punctures seal closed.

As soon as Ross had pulled away and licked the last of the blood off his lips, Danny pulled him up for a kiss.

"Soooo, good morning I guess?" Danny drawled, a warm smile spreading across his handsome face.

Careful to avoid the noticeable jizz patch he'd left on the bed sheets, Ross nudged him so he could lay beside the taller man.

"I thought you might like the wake up." Ross said smugly, unable to stop himself from licking his lips again to see if there was any lingering blood there - it just tasted so _good._

"Jesus, you can wake me like that _any_ time."

"Don't get used to it." Ross snorted, but his dismissive tone didn't match the way he curled against Dan.

Danny stretched, automatically pulling Ross close. It really had been a pretty sweet way to wake up, and it made the older man feel ridiculously spoiled.

"I should get up...but staying in bed all day sounds pretty good." Danny murmured, tugging the blankets up as if he was planning to start doing just that. Ross looked incensed at the idea and poked Danny's ribs sharply. 

"Hey, fuck you man, don't get comfortable. We're going for  waffles, remember? Since you're not going to be free for lunch today."

Danny fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of _course_ he remembered - Ross had only thrown an _enormous_ hissy fit about his lunch meeting when Danny had told him about it on Friday.

To be fair, they _always_ spent Saturdays together; their ritual was to record and then go for lunch (usually followed by some serious making out), So, when Danny had mentioned that he had a meeting with Mark's girlfriend, and that he was taking her to _their_ sushi place, well, Ross had gone into full on pout mode.

Never mind that Danny was so absolutely head over heels for Ross that it was almost pathetic, Ross had still sulked.

Danny knew it was just because Ross was scared - aside from the insecurity about the whole vampire thing, the Australian had admitted on more than one occasion that he was afraid Danny would get sick of his shit and realise he could have anyone he wanted and leave him.

After Holly leaving, it wasn't hard to see _why_ Ross was scared, but Danny had decided he'd spend the rest of his life trying to help Ross get over that fear.

But he shouldn't have had to stop doing what he loved to accomplish that goal.

Ross already got snippy about the (admittedly) gorgeous models Danny worked with on NSP music videos, so it didn't really help that Mark's new lady was good looking and super nice either.

Understanding the root of where the behaviour didn't make it any less frustrating when Ross growled like a junk-yard dog at anyone that wasn't part of the 'inner circle' (meaning pretty much just the Grump family), but Danny thankfully had the patience of a saint.

Which was lucky, since when Danny had tried to invite him along, that had just seemed to piss Ross off even more. There'd been some snarky shit about not wanting to be the third wheel on their _date_ , but Danny hadn't risen to it. The meeting was about the new Ninja Sex Party album cover, nothing more insidious than that, and he'd been with Ross long enough to know that arguing was only going to make it worse.

It was crazy, really. Even though they were both bi, Ross was the last one who'd been in a heterosexual relationship. Danny didn't bring that up though - as much as he loved Ross, he was like a toddler when he was mad. He needed to throw his tantrum and wear himself out first before you'd get any reason out of him.

So, Danny had let him stalk around the office, swearing, clunking down controllers, muttering under his breath about Mark and just being an oversized brat, until a few hours later when, as predicted, Ross had sunk onto the couch Danny had been sitting on and mumbled that he was sorry for being an asshole and that he didn't need to be at his _meeting_. 

As a compromise, Danny had managed to pacify him by promising him breakfast instead - though but the stubborn Aussie hadn't _really_ been satisfied until later that night when he'd put his marks all over Danny's body, growling _"you're mine"_  repeatedly under his breath as he made Danny see stars.

Grinning despite the faint lingering ache at his neck - not to mention his ass and back - Danny's fingers went up to feel the bites. Man, Ross had _really_ gone to town. 

"Hey...You uh...You okay?" Ross' hand crept up Danny's chest, drawing little nonsense patterns against his skin. 

It was moments like these that Danny wished he could quote to people when they tried to tell him that Ross seemed like a total, compassion-less dick. Catching the younger man's hand, Danny gave it a squeeze. 

"Oh, yeah. _Never_ better." Danny grinned, even as he let Ross' hand go and rolled over in the bed with a little wince. "Are you sure I can't sleep in a little more?"

"No, lazy, I'm _starving!_ "

"You just ate!"

"Fuck off, you know it's not the same!" Ross jabbed him again and Danny blew out a long suffering sigh.

"Fine, whatever man." Throwing the sheets off, Danny stood and stretched then grinned at Ross. "Soooo, you gonna come join me in the shower or...?"

Ross tried to vault out of bed but somehow managed to tangle himself in the sheets, and Danny couldn't help but blurt out a hysterical "Goddamnit Ross!", when the younger man glared at him and unravelled one of his arms enough to shoot him the middle finger. 

 

~ * ~

 

You were awake bright and early on Saturday, since you couldn't help but be excited for your meeting with Danny and your visit to Mark's.

Mark was recording Grumpcade with Arin until later in the afternoon, but it worked out perfectly for you. You'd arranged to meet Danny for lunch at twelve thirty, so it would give you plenty of time to drive to L.A., talk to Danny, and then spend time with Mark too. 

You weren't due back at work until Tuesday, so you were staying with Mark on Saturday and Sunday night, then heading back Monday afternoon.

It was only a half hour drive to Los Angeles from Pasadena, but you didn't want to be late, so you'd loaded your car up at eleven and hit the road. Traffic could always be super unpredictable, especially on weekends. Saturday's were usually a nightmare to get anywhere.

It was a chilly morning, and it had been raining on and off, but unlike the last time you'd seen Mark, there wasn't any storms forecast. Winter didn't get as cold as it did in Seattle, but you'd still turned the heater on as soon as your engine warmed up.

Mysteriously, and much to your surprise though, the roads were pretty empty. You'd only hit one real traffic jam, and even then, you hadn't been stuck in it for long.  Maybe it was the threats of the rainy weather?

The drive had been peaceful and you'd arrived at the Grump office much faster than you'd expected. It wasn't even twelve yet. The trip was only meant to take half an hour, but accounting for the roads being busy, you'd thought it would be closer to an hour.

You debated sitting in your car since it was so nice and toasty and you were so early, but after a few minuted, you decided to head in. There was usually someone chilling in the office, and if there wasn't, you could always sit and pass the time.

Swiping the entrance pass that Mark had given you, the main door had their usual recording sign on it - Suzy's neat curling cursive _'we are recording, so quiet please'_ and the scrawled _'OR ELSE'_ with a pissed off looking stick figure underneath it. Either Arin or Ross' contribution, though neither of them would own up to it. You grinned every time you saw it, and you made sure you made as little noise as possible when you pushed open the door.

As many times as you'd been to the office, the sprawl of the main floor, along with all the games and paraphernalia never ceased to awe you. You always seemed to find something new to look at - or maybe it was because they were constantly adding to the collection. Whatever the case, it was undeniably cool.

Sneaking inside as quietly as you could, your heart fluttered when you instantly heard the faint rumble of Mark's voice, and the higher pitch of Arin's laugh. They must have been in the main room upstairs, probably lounging on the infamous Grump couch.

Other than the boys upstairs, Barry was the only one at his computer. All three of his monitors were lit up, and he was working on something with his headphones partially on. When he turned to the rustling of you coming in, you gave him a little wave, and he smiled at you in return.

"Hey, wow, you got here fast. Mark said you weren't due until later." He spun fully in his chair to face you. "How was the drive?"

"Quick," you laughed,  "I'm here way earlier than I thought I'd be."

"Huh, no traffic on a Saturday?" Barry sounded as puzzled as you'd felt.

"I know right? I left early thinking that I'd get stuck and now I'm here."

"Well, they guys should be taking a break soon, but you can always pop up and see them if you want."

You shook your head. "Nah, I don't wanna interrupt if they're recording."

Barry shrugged with a grin. "Suit yourself. You know the drill. Help yourself to whatever."

Shuffling his headphones back on, you headed over to the fridge.

It had taken you a little while to get comfortable enough, but now you weren't afraid to do just what Barry said. Snagging one of the jugs of filtered water, you poured yourself a glass and sat on one of the smaller couches they had downstairs.

Portfolio in your lap with the album designs tucked in the back, you resisted the urge to flip it open. It was one of those things about art in general - it didn't matter how many tweaks you made, you would always find something you wanted to fiddle with.

You'd wait for Danny's input now before you made any other changes.

A weird mix of nervous and excited, you sat back down and flicked  through your phone to pass the time. 

You gulped your first glass of water down, and when you got up to get another one, you heard the boys coming down the stairs and your heart sped up.

"Man, that was such bull-" Mark stopped mid sentence, his eyes lighting up when he saw you. He blurted your name and rushed the rest of the stairs then scooped you up into his arms.

"Mark!" You squealed as he effortlessly lifted you and spun you around. "Put me _down!_ "

You tried to sound serious, but you couldn't help but laugh, even as your heart fluttered. Fuck, you forgot how _strong_ he was sometimes. 

"You're early." He grinned, ignoring your protests. Plonking you down on the kitchen bench, he didn't even let you catch your breath before his lips crashed into yours.

Even though you were a little embarrassed that he was making out with you in front of his friends, it was instinct to let your arms curl around his neck as he dominated the kiss.

After a moment, he pulled away, beaming at you.  "I didn't think you'd be here for another half an hour." 

"I didn't either." You grinned, trying to catch your breath. "Traffic was much better than I expected."

"Well, I -"

" _Ahem!_ Excuuuuuuse me love birds, but this is a _communal_ area. Take the hanky panky elsewhere please."

Arin was grinning at you, while Barry was resolutely still focused on his screen. Cheeks hot, and feeling oddly like you'd been sprung by a parent, you cleared your throat and gave Arin a sheepish little wave.

"Uh, hi Arin. How uh, how are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm just dandy." the Grump said airily as he leaned against the fridge in all his barefoot nonchalance. You were super embarrassed, but at least _he_ seemed to be enjoying himself.

You tried to wiggle away from Mark, but he basically had you pinned against the bench and his hands kept you firmly in place. 

" _Mark_." You hissed under your breath, feeling your cheeks darken. You weren't really upset, but it was just a little public for your tastes. You liked Arin well enough, but the way he was leering was just a little off-putting.

"C'mon man!" Mark groused, glaring at his friend. "You get to kiss your wife every night. Can you blame me for wanting a little 'hanky panky'?"

"Mark!" You squeaked as Arin rolled his eyes with a good natured sigh. "You need to get back to work." Mark looked at you pleadingly, but you fixed him with a stern glare. "I'm not even supposed to be here yet."

"Five minutes?" He pleaded, looking between you and Arin. You laughed - he looked like a begging puppy - and in the face of that look, even Arin was struggling to keep his feigned exasperation up.

Sighing like it was the biggest chore in the world, Arin shook his head.

"Whatever man, but we still have two more episodes of _Grumpcade_ to film and I don't wanna sit next to you with a boner." Arin's voice was all sarcasm, but he was still grinning at the both of you.

Mark finally let you go with an indignant snort. "But you sit next to Danny and he's basically _always_ got a boner!"

Sliding off the bench, you brushed your hair behind your ear and tried to retain _some_ dignity. 

"Yeah, but Danny's _way_ cuter than you, so it's okay."  Arin winked at you then sauntered back up the stairs, and you couldn't help but laugh as Mark spluttered a protest.

"Jerk!" Mark pouted. "I'm _handsome_ _._ " Laughing again, you wrapped your arm around him and patted his shoulders consolingly.

"Of _course_ you are."

 

~ * ~

 

Mark had tried to linger, but you'd scolded him back up stairs to keep recording. You were determined that you weren't going to distract him from his work. Fun as it was, the Grumps ran a pretty tight schedule, and you didn't want the be the one responsible for throwing it off. As much as you wanted to be with him, you'd have plenty of time later.

Besides, it was getting close to twelve thirty and a few nervous butterflies were starting to rise up in your stomach.

This was your first prospective freelance work. Friendships aside, it was _important_ to you for this to go well.

You were scrolling through your Facebook feed when you heard the sound of voices getting closer. Jumping off the couch, you smoothed a hand through your hair and took a deep breath.

Ross came through the door first, laughing at something that Danny must have said. When he saw you though, his expression darkened and he frowned.

Confused, you offered him a smile but he walked passed you and dumped himself in front of his desk almost....sulking?

You didn't have that much time to dwell on it though, because Danny came in soon after, and the few butterflies turned into a whole swarm.

As much as he wasn't your flavour, Danny was a good looking guy. He rocked the 'slightly unkempt, (self proclaimed) Jew-fro, I don't care what you think' look that was so unique to the Not So Grump. He was wearing a long scarf with his jacket and you couldn't help but picture how the combo would look on Mark.

Unlike Ross, when Danny saw you, his expression brightened.

"Oh, hey! You made it!"

"Yep," You said, fighting the urge to fidget.

"So, you wanna head out? I'm taking you to get the best sushi in L.A. My treat since you came all this way."

You couldn't help but laugh - all this way? It had been less than half an hour.

"It wasn't a long trip." You grinned. "I was happy to come."

"Still," Danny ran his fingers through his unruly curls, "I'm like, super excited to have some help making a _proper_ album cover."

"I just hope you like what I've done." You went over and grabbed your portfolio and laptop.

"Hey, Ross?" Danny said as he held the door open for you. "We're heading out. We'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

"Whatever." Ross grumbled. He still hadn't booted up his computer, he was just sitting there.

Danny's expression faltered for a second, but then he was smiling again when he looked back at you.

"Shall we?"

You didn't really know Danny well enough to ask what was up with Ross, so you just nodded.

"Lead the way, I'm pretty hungry."

You'd been too nervous for breakfast, so you really were hungry. You hadn't been big into sushi before you'd met Mark, but he was determined to develop your pallet for it since he was such a fan. 

He'd talked up the sushi bar as his favourite in L.A. and he _knew_ his sushi.

The restaurant wasn't a big, but it obviously was popular so you weren't all that surprised that it was jam packed when you got there. Danny thankfully had the forethought to book a table, though you were surprised that he had selected one in the upstairs reserved section of the little restaurant.

"I thought we'd have a bit more space and quiet in here." He explained as he sat on one side of the large booth. While it was just as full, it certainly was a bit quieter than the downstairs portion since there were fewer tables.

"Wanna get a platter to share?"

Flipping open the menu, you had a quick look. The share menu had a pretty decent mix of sushi, sashimi as well as a portion of teriyaki chicken and rice paper rolls. It sounded pretty good.

"Sounds delicious." You agreed. "Could we get some green tea too?"

"For sure." Danny flagged down the waitress and you placed your order together.

While you were waiting, you made polite conversation - how was Pasadena, were you liking your new work, what was the biggest difference between California and Seattle?

You were dying to show Danny your stuff, but eating first probably was a better idea.

At least you didn't have to wait long, because the sushi came out and it looked _spectacular_.

"Wow." You marvelled as the delectable platter was put in front of you, complete with all the condiments you could want, and your pot of green tea. "This looks awesome."

"It tastes even better." Danny promised, "Mark put us onto this place, even though we'd lived here longer."

"That doesn't surprise me." You grinned fondly as you picked up your chopsticks and dished some teriyaki chicken onto your plate, along with a California roll. "That man is serious about good sushi."

"Yeah, we brought him to what we _thought_ was a good sushi bar when we first started hanging out, and man, every bite, he looked like he was choking it down."

Taking your first mouthful, you tried not to laugh as you covered your mouth to swallow.

"That sounds like him. This really is good though. I mean, _wow_. It's so yummy."

"Well, enjoy." Danny said, dishing some nigiri onto his plate .

Between the two of you, you polished off the platter much faster than was probably should have, but you _had_ been hungry and the food certainly did taste amazing.

You hadn't really known when had been the right time, so after you'd both pushed your plates to the side, you just decided to say hell with it and dragged your portfolio onto the table with all the subtly of a brick to the face.

"So...I thought I'd show you what work I've done before. That's at the front. It's all just general stuff, but the designs for Ninja Sex Party are at the back. I have them on my laptop too, so we can have a play around if you want."

"Okay, sweet."

Carefully moving his tea cup aside, Danny drew your portfolio towards him and flipped it open.

He politely took the time to look over your earlier work, but his expression didn't take on any interest until he got to the back.

This was it.

"Hey, wow, these look cool!" Danny's expression seemed genuine and you felt a wave of relief.

"You really like it?" You let out the breath you hadn't realised you'd been holding.

"Yeah, they look awesome! Seriously though." Danny flipped back and forth between the pages. "Where'd you get the art for these?"

"Well, I made the logo and I uh...I drew and coloured the pictures myself. I'm pretty rusty. They're just place holders for the actual photos."

"Whoa." He looked up from the page with your favourite versions of the cover on it, his brows raised. "You can draw like this and you're working in advertising?"

You shrugged. "I had to pay the bills somehow, and I do actually like what I do."

"You ever think about getting into something with your art?"

"When I was little, I wanted to be an illustrator, but I think that anyone who does art or anything in art has this terrible moment where they realise that they probably can't get into that line of work, even if they're really good at what they do."

Danny nodded sagely. "I hear you on that one. It took me years to get seriously into music like I am now. So many things just fell into place with Game Grumps and then Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb. For a long time, I honestly thought I'd never be able to do anything in music and then all this great stuff happened." Danny paused as looked at you, his expression serious. "Have you thought about looking into it again now that you're near L.A.? There's probably a lot more potential for you here."

"Uh, no." You said, stunned by the thought. You'd given up on it so long ago, you honestly hadn't considered it.

"Maybe you should?" Danny said kindly. "I could talk to Ross and Arin for you too, if you wanted. I'm sure they know people who know people."

"I'll...think about it. Thank you though." You did appreciate it, really. It was nice that someone who didn't even know you that well was happy to go out of his way to help you. Getting back onto task, you pointed at the images Danny was looking at. "Is there anything you want to change on these? We can play if you want."

Danny looked a little hesitant, like he was worried he'd offend you, but you reassured him.

"Danny, one of the biggest parts of my job is making sure that what I make matches up to what you want. I've done my best, but it's pretty rare to get it exactly right since I'm not in your head and I can't see what you imagine. It's why I've made so many versions, but if there's still something on there you want me to change, I'm not going to be upset."

"Well...Do you think we could change the font colour a little? And maybe angle it so the 'Attitude City' is a little more diagonal? Oh, and could we maybe have a fade effect on the lettering up here?"

Grinning at him, you loaded your laptop up and opened the image, along with photoshop and lightroom.

"Let's do it."

"Sweet! But first...We're gonna need more tea."

You couldn't help but laugh at Danny's intense expression as you set to work.

 

~ * ~

 

Tilting your head and looking critically at the images on the screen in front of you, you had to agree that these versions with Danny's revisions looked much, much better. It wasn't a surprise. Generally, things always improved when you got another persons opinion, especially someone as creative as Danny.

You'd picked Danny's top three favourites and worked on editing them. You both agreed on the first pick - the guys dressed in their costumes from the attitude city video clip - though your preferences differed after that.

It had actually taken two more pots of tea before you were both happy enough with the designs that Danny had emailed them off to Brian.

Danny had been buzzing with excitement that the album cover was going to look so much more professional than what they'd done before.

"Man, I can't wait to show everyone! We can show everyone when we get back to the office, right?"

Shutting your laptop down, you grinned at his enthusiasm. "Of course."

Tucking your laptop and your portfolio into their carry bag, you sat back in the plush booth, ridiculously happy at how well your meeting had gone.

The afternoon seemed to have a surprise in store for your though...

The lunch rush was well over, so it was pretty much just you and Danny on the top level of the restaurant. The waitresses still kept coming up to check on you, but you were starting to get the impression that it was more to try and get you out than anything else. You were debating the merits of whether to order some mango sorbet and one last pot of tea when Danny somehow managed to knock over his half full teacup.

"Oh, shit! Sorry, Sorry!"

Wow, thank goodness you'd just tucked your stuff away!

You'd both fumbled for wads of napkins before the mess spread, and you'd been about to ask Danny if he was okay, but the question died on your lips. In your mad napkin flurry, the scarf Danny had been wearing had shifted, and you saw a _very_ familiar mark on his neck. 

_Holy crap._

It looked a hell of a lot like a bite...

There was no mistaking it, surely. You'd only seen it once, on your own wrist, but it wasn't exactly the type of thing you could confuse for something else.

Well, there was only one way to find out...

"Hey, Danny? What happened to your neck?" You couldn't believe how controlled your voice came out since your heart felt like it was in the roof of your mouth. 

To his credit, he barely flinched, and managed to make the motion of pulling his scarf up look almost totally casual, even as he kept mopping at the spilt tea.

"This? Oh, it's just an allergic reaction to something, I think."

Yeah, _right_.

Okay then, time to go direct.

"Oh, so if I said the word 'feeder' to you, it wouldn't mean anything?"

Now _that_ got his attention. 

His eyes snapped up to yours, comically wide and his hand froze mid swipe.

You could almost see the cogs in his mind frantically working before he gave up and sank into his seat.

"Holy shit." He murmured. Looking around to make sure there still wasn't anyone nearby, he leant forward and looked at you intensely. "Mark?"

You nodded. "Yup." You dropped your voice low. "And Ross too?"

"Yeah...Holy shit." He said again, running his fingers through his crazy hair. "I _never_ would have guessed."

"I know right?"

"I mean, Ross is like, super no talkie about any...others."

" _It's not my secret to tell._ " You said, deepening your voice in a poor imitation of Mark's. 

Danny blurted a startled laugh and shook his head with a wry grin.

"I can't believe this is happening. Is it weird that I'm like, excited to talk to another person about this?" 

"Well, if it is, then I'm weird too, because I feel the same." 

Danny's smile got even wider. "Thank goodness. Now," he scraped his chair further forward and put his elbows on the table, resting his chin in the cradle of his hands. His expression was equal parts conspiratorial and curious when he said, "tell me _everything_." 

 

~ * ~

End of Part One  


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so maybe Mark being a vampire did complicate things a little more than you thought, especially when there are so many feelings involved, and you want his bite so badly...All you can do is hope is that with a little help and lots of love, you'll get through this together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who haven't seen in the comments, I am extremely sorry for the long delay on this second part, but I ended up in hospital for a little over two weeks after getting pneumonia and it's been a long recovery. I'm much better now and back to writing smut with feels! :3 
> 
> I wanted to say a massive thank you for all the lovely comments and kudos on this story. I'm still blown away by how many people have liked what I've written. It's so encouraging :) 
> 
> Also, if you haven't already, please check out the stories 'First Bite' by fairdeath and 'Something Magic Here (And There and Everywhere)' by SJWrites. Both of these stories were 'inspired' by mine, which is also something I can't believe! 
> 
> I hope you like the second chapter as much, and as always, comments, constructive criticism and feedback would be most appreciated. Please read and enjoy!

~ * ~

 Normally you were a pretty modest person. 

 _Normally_ you wouldn't ever dream of talking about the intimacies of your relationship with someone you weren't super good friends with, especially since you and Mark were both pretty private people. 

But _normally_ you weren't talking to someone who knew that vampires were totally actually a thing, and it wasn't like there was anyone else that you could ask for advice about how to get your vampire boyfriend to suck your blood. 

In less than fifteen minutes, you and Danny had gone from casual 'you're fun to talk' to 'let me tell you all my secrets' when it came to Mark and Ross. 

Danny had been warmly sympathetic after hearing about the circumstances of your discovery about Mark's vampiric nature. You hadn't realised how traumatic it had been until you started talking about how worried you'd been for Mark, how petrified you'd been that he might die. At some point during your story, Danny had taken your hand, squeezing it every time your breath hitched, and you were more than grateful for it.

Danny's entry into 'vampires exist' life hadn't been nearly as melodramatic, but it had been just as life changing, and considering that Danny had been keeping Ross' secret for _years_ without anyone to talk to, it wasn't surprising he was bursting to talk about it.

Jeez, you'd only known for a few weeks and you were dying to share. You'd exchanged numbers - a vampire boyfriend life line Danny had joked - and it was great to think that there was someone you could text who wouldn't think you were insane.

Danny had been full of tips, like how to recognise when Mark was starting to go into blood withdrawals, how you could tell he'd had too much sun, or how to tell when Mark was scenting someone or listening to their heartbeat. Well, it was obviously what applied to Ross, but you were both assuming it would be pretty similar. Thinking back on it, you could already recognise some of the tells Danny had identified.

You'd clung to every word, because good Lord, it was _beyond_ comforting to have someone who knew, and better still, _understood_.

He'd gotten onto the topic of becoming Ross' feeder pretty quickly - if you were honest, that was what you wanted to hear about the most.

It was a weird relief to hear that he enjoyed being bitten, and even better still that it had become a part of their daily routine. Ross only technically _needed_ to feed once a week, but Danny had managed to get him to drink every few days. When he was lucky, it was once every day.

That sounded beyond amazing. You wanted that, you wanted that so badly.

"It's better for both of us." Danny grinned, "Ross drinking more often helps keep him health and pepped up. Plus, it's fuckin' hot."

Your cheeks were pink, but you couldn't help but look at him hopefully. "What did you do? How did you convince Ross?"

"Well, it started off as curiosity, y'know? I must have asked him a million questions. I think he got sick of it, but in the end, Ross was game, I was game. It was only natural that it got into the bedroom, but jeez, it took a while. First time, he made me have all these blood bags around, just in case. He was terrified he was gonna go all blood crazy, even though he'd drunk from me before. Kinda ruined the mood a little, but it was what he needed to make him feel better." Danny had offered you lascivious smile. "It was _totally_ worth it though. Be warned but, it was fine like, during, but the next morning, Ross freaked out. The bites aren't exactly pretty."

"Amen to that. I had the _worst_ time covering up my wrist. Thank goodness it was winter and I could get away with wearing long sleeves."

"Yeah, well, winter makes them a little crazy." Danny toyed with his scarf with a grin, obviously remembering the _activities_ that has gotten him bitten in the first place.

"I wish Mark would 'get a little crazy'" You sighed wistfully. "He just wants to pretend I never found out, but I'm going insane." Swirling your cold tea around in your teacup, you tried not to sound like you were whining. "I don't want to be selfish or weird or anything like that. I just want to be part of this aspect of his life. It just feels...important."

Danny nodded sagely, but his expression went serious. "I get that. I think it's just that...they've spent so long keeping most people from finding out, trying to protect other people. I think they go through this wave of emotions when they find someone who embraces it. Ross was this weird mix of feeling guilty he liked it, and pissed off that I'd gotten him to give in." Danny grinned and pointed to his neck. "He obviously got over it." 

The morning after, Mark had seemed fine. He had been back to his usual touches and soft kisses, but they all felt imbued with more _meaning_ , as if he was trying to comfort you and confirm you were still there at the same time.

He'd Skyped you that night when he'd gotten home, and other than your obvious vampire related questions, nothing felt different.

Your problem was _now_. He seemed to want to pretend nothing had changed, but it wasn't like him being a vampire was something you could just ignore.

It wasn't like you _wanted_ to. 

"Did it take long? To get to being his feeder all the time?"

"About a month or so."

You blew out another sigh. A whole month...You were going to lose your mind.

Your face must have said it all.

"Don't give up. Just keep talking to him about it." Danny urged. "I'm sure he'll come around. There are unexpected benefits to being his feeder, you know, _other_ than the obvious, so it would be good for both of you in the end."

Apparently, it was somewhat of an accepted (if unproven) theory that the vampire saliva not only helped to heal the bites faster, but also to make the feeders body healthier so they could continue to provide blood. Danny hadn't gotten even the slightest inkling of a cold since Ross had started drinking from him.

That was all well and good (and super interesting too) but it didn't really help if Mark wouldn't listen in the first place.

"I just can't get him to talk to me about it." You sighed. "He just keeps telling me he doesn't need me to do it, but he wont' listen to the fact that I _want_ to."

God, you'd lost count of how many times you'd tried to talk to him about it, only to have him change the subject or flat out refuse to discuss it. How many times had you heard 'you don't need to worry about it' or 'I can handle it myself' or 'please just drop it' when he was in a rare irritable mood.

Danny patted your hand consolingly.

"Don't make any rash moves. Talk about it with him openly, and _keep_ talking to him about it. Tell him why you want to do it for him, but make it more about how good it would make _you_ feel. Don't make it all about him. Knowing Mark, he probably thinks you feel obliged or something now. He's gonna be working through his own issues with this, so be patient. Just let him know how good it's gonna make you feel. Mark's all about what he can do to make other people happy, you know?"

Fond little smile lifting your lips, you couldn't help but nod.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'm just being too impatient. I don't want this to become something we fight about, but at the same time I don't want to lie and pretend this isn't making me crazy."

"When it does happen, just make sure Mark's fed before, so it's like, extra rather than what he needs. This one time, Ross got carried away was when I'd been off on a NSP signing for a few days and the first time he drank from me was...well, it was amazing, but I had to call in sick from Grumping for a few days. Arin was _so_ pissed."

Danny gave you a 'you know what I mean look' and you couldn't help but laugh at the accompanying eyebrow wiggle.

"And there's nothing more intense than having them bite you while you're going at it. For _both_ of you. It like, triggers something inside them. It's _totally_ awesome. And you think your wrist is something, man wait until it's your neck or your thigh..."

His eyes had glazed over, just a little, and you were glad he hadn't been watching you, because you were sure you were scarlet with embarrassment.

You'd been keen to talk more but your phone started buzzing suddenly, snapping you both out of your conversation.

You frowned a little when Mark's name came up on your screen, but your eyes widened in shock when you looked above that and saw the time.

"Jeez, Danny, it's four o'clock!" You gasped as you quickly swiped to answer. Danny made his own startled noise and fished for his own phone.

 _"Hey, are you okay?"_ Mark asked, and you instantly felt bad at how worried his voice sounded. _"You said you'd only be a few hours and-"_

"Mark, we're fine." You cut him off, "we just lost track of the time. We're still at the sushi place."

 _"Oh."_ There was a beat of silence and Mark let out a relieved sigh. _"Thank goodness. You heading back soon?"_

"Yeah, Danny and I had no idea it had been so long."

 _"It must have gone well then, right?"_ Mark's said warmly.

"Yeah, I think so. Anyway, we'll be back at the office soon."

_"Okay, drive safe."_

Ending the call, you quickly gathered your things. "We'd better hurry back. I think the guys are getting worried."

"You could say that." Danny snorted, holding his own phone up for you to read.

There was a text in all caps, _HEY! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU FUCKER?_

"Fucking Ross. Don't ask me why I love him." The tall man said as he extracted himself from the booth and shook his head with exasperation. "You get sweet, concerned Mark and I get salty-ass, grumpy bastard Ross."

Zipping up your laptop bag, you shook your head. "You wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah," Danny grinned. "You're right."

~ * ~

 

The trip back to the office wasn't a long drive, but it was long enough for you to start getting nervous when Danny started talking about the album designs again. Considering your _other_ topic of conversation, you had almost forgotten about the actual purpose of your visit.

While your stomach was churning with nerves, Danny was a bundle of energy and when you arrived, he practically threw the door open and bounded into the Grump Space.

"Okay, so seriously, you guys  _have_  to look at these album covers." Danny blurted, not even bothering to check who was actually there to listen.

Luckily though, both Mark and Ross were there, and they had obviously been waiting.

The moment you entered, Mark had immediately vaulted off the couch, smiling at you both, but Ross slumped down in his seat and he fixed you with a fierce scowl. 

"Have  _fun?"_ The Aussie asked sharply, eyes not leaving yours. 

More than a little bewildered at the unexpected hostility, you could only blink stupidly at the question.

Mark's hand circled around your hip, pulling you into him and you happily leant into the half embrace - at least someone was happy to see you. 

Danny was either oblivious or choosing to ignore Ross' bad attitude, because the taller man flopped himself inelegantly next to his pouting boyfriend and slung his arm around him. 

"Yup, we had a great time. Where is everyone?"

"Out." Ross said grumpily. "They went to get bubble tea."

"About fifteen minutes ago." Mark added helpfully. "Said they'd probably be about an hour or so."

"Aww....Damn. Well, you guys can look at least," Danny said as he looked to you and made a 'come here' motion. 

You didn't dare move though - Ross' fierce, piercing eyes blue kept you pinned to the spot. Even with Mark beside you, you didn't feel brave enough.

You were sure Ross was going to start snarling at you any minute now. 

"Danny, we really don't have to do that today." You said nervously, toying with the strap of your laptop bag to try and keep your hands busy. "You uh...you can show Ross tomorrow." 

Danny's expression fell, and you felt Mark squeeze at your hip.

"Aw, can't we see them today?" Mark asked innocently. "I wanna seem them too."

As much as you loved him, you could have strangled him in that moment. God, apparently they really _were_ all that dense to the 'please go away' vibes that Ross was casting in your direction.

Sighing, you put your laptop bag down and unzipped it, wordlessly handing your laptop over to Danny once it had booted up, then quickly retreated back. Popping a sweet little kiss on your cheek, Mark left your side so that he could take a place behind the couch to see.

"Okay, okay, so this is the one I like best." Danny said excitedly, pointing at the screen once Mark leant over. "There's gonna be photos there in the place of the drawing, but aren't they good?" Danny beamed at you. "She draws so well."

Ross hadn't said anything, but a little of the bitterness in his expression faltered for a moment, replaced with curiosity that he couldn't hide. He still looked pissed, but his eyes darted from the screen to you and back to the screen.

"Whoa, you really drew these?" Mark asked, brows curving up, then furrowing. "I never knew you could draw." There was a hint of hurt accusation as Mark looked to you.

Not sure why you suddenly felt guilty - as if _he_ could talk about keeping secrets! - you shrugged.

"I haven't drawn like that for a long time. It's something I'd sort of...forgotten." You said helplessly. _Not something I've hidden._

"You're line work is sloppy." You jolted at Ross' sharp voice, stunned that he was speaking at all. "And you're perspective is off."

"Ross!" Danny admonished, shooting the man an astonished look. "Jesus man, harsh much?"

"Yeah!" Mark said, frown returning. "There's no need to be mean."

"No, it's okay." You blurted, throwing your hands out hastily. "I know I'm rusty. They're just place holders."

The last thing you wanted to do was piss Ross off more by making him and Danny fight. For whatever reason, it was obvious Ross wasn't fond of you, and you'd only make matters worse trying to push.

"I need to practise a lot more. I'd forgotten how much I actually missed drawing until I took on this project." You were babbling, but you couldn't help it.

Danny frowned at Ross for a second before his fact lit up. "Well...Maybe you and Ross and Arin could hang out some time and art jam!"

Yeah, that sounded like a _fabulous_ idea...

 _Not_.

You and Ross looked at each other at the same instant - Ross looked like he'd swallowed a mouthful of off milk, and you were sure your expression wasn't much different.

"Maybe." You said, trying desperately to sound both enthused and non-committal at the same time.

Ross, for all his distaste, let a little relief bleed into his features.

"Awesome!" Danny enthused, seemingly still blissfully unaware. "We can totally set something up for the next time you come to L.A! I know a sweet dim sum place."

Ross' expression darkened further at the mention of you hanging out together again though and oh, the lightbulb finally went off in your brain as the pieces clicked into place with utter certainty.

Jesus, you were calling Danny oblivious - you could have slapped yourself for being so thick.

Ross wasn't _pissed_ , Ross was _jealous!_

You hadn't done some terrible affront to him, he was just mad that you and Danny had struck up such a quick friendship.

No duh - it was so obvious now! While you'd been talking, Danny had offhandedly mentioned that Ross could get possessive, and here you were, hanging out with him - waaaaay longer than either of you had expected - and you'd come back with Danny singing your praises and talking about how great a time you'd both had.

There wasn't anything to be jealous _about_ , but jealousy was hardly rational, and it's not like you couldn't relate...God, you felt that same nasty twist in your gut every time convention season rolled around with Mark.

Okay, well, at least you could make sense of things now. It was still obscenely awkward, but you felt a little better for solving why Ross suddenly seemed to hate you out of nowhere.

"Anyway." You said firmly, before any other suggestions could be bandied about, "I think Mark and I need to head back to his place now. So..." Extracting your laptop as gently as you could without being rude, you shut it down and packed it away. "I had a fun time today Danny. Let me know which design Brian likes best and if there's anything we need to tweak, then I'll see if I can talk work into letting me print a mock up."

"Wait," Danny said, genuinely upset. "You can't hang out a little more?"

Ross' nostrils flared. Mark opened his mouth - probably to say you didn't have any plans - but before he could say anything, you shook your head.

"Nope, sorry, we have to head off. C'mon Mark."

For their part, both Danny and Mark looked a little surprised at your abrupt departure, but you were getting desperate to escape.

Slinging your laptop bag over you shoulder and practically dragging Mark along, you threw one last wave over your shoulder and tried your best to look like you weren't sprinting as you hustled out the door

~ * ~

 

The second the door closed, Danny turned to Ross to ask him why on Earth he'd been such a jackass, but Ross spoke before Danny could. 

"Four and a half hours, Dan?" Ross snarled, arms folded as he glared at the taller man.

"Uh, okay." Ross had literally _zero_ reason to be mad, and Danny refused to be made to feel guilty. "We were _working_ , and then we were hanging out. Contrary to what you seem to want, I am allowed to have friends outside of the Grumps!"

Danny was a pretty 'live and let live' kind of guy, but he could feel his anger rising. It took a lot to get him genuinely pissed, but he could feel the frustration building. Every time, _every_ goddamn time he spent time with someone that wasn't either immediate family, or part of the Grumps, Ross started hissing and spitting at them like a wet cat. Patience was one thing, but this was getting out of hand.

Enough was enough.

"Do you trust me, Ross?" Danny ground our harshly. 

"Wh-Of course." Ross seemed genuinely derailed by the question

"And you know that the whole Sex Bang persona is a joke right? I'm not some sort of jerk that sleeps around just because my dick gets hard a lot." 

Ross' mouth flopped open. "Of course I know that!"

Danny threw his hands up. "Then _why_ do you get so jealous?!" 

"I don't _know!_ " Ross cried, pushing himself up and giving Danny a pathetic look. "I don't know...I just...fuck, I'm not good at this shit." 

Danny paused, surprised by the vulnerability on the Australian's face as he stared resolutely at the ground. 

Dan stood, gently going to put his arms around the other man so he could guide him back onto the couch. " Ross, talk to me. You can _always_ talk to me." 

"I just get so pissed off, I can't help it. Like, it's so fucked up that you want to be with me with all...this" Ross gestured to his mouth. "I get scared that you'll find someone normal and..."

 _Leave_. 

Ross didn't need to say it, the word hung ominously in the air. He stared down at his hands. 

"Ross, I'm not going anywhere, okay?" 

"Nobody ever says they are." Ross said quietly. "Holly didn't."

Oh, shit. Okay. Fuck, this got heavy fast. 

Danny felt his earlier anger instantly extinguish in the face of a cold flush of pity.

For all the time they'd been together, Ross had never really talked about Holly. She sort of just...vanished out of their lives. As far as Danny knew, Suzy was the only one who kept up contact with her. 

Their divorce had been quiet and pretty amicable as far as everyone could see. If you asked either of them, they both just said they'd drifted apart. There hadn't seemed to be any cheating or screaming fights, just sad, silent disconnection. 

The rest of the Grumps were all too close to pry, much more interested in being there to support their friends through the difficult time than speculating about the cause. 

And like Danny wanted to bring Holly up when they were starting to get hot and heavy.

Danny wove his fingers between Ross' and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Ross?" 

Ross took a deep breath before he spoke. 

"Holly knew I was a vampire when we got married, but I only ever bit her once." Ross shook his head, lost in memory. "It didn't go badly or anything, but she didn't like it. It freaked her out. I never hurt her, and I was always careful to keep my blood bags out of sight, as if everything was _normal_ but it still wasn't good enough."

Gripping Danny's hand harder Ross pressed on, even though his voice faltered. 

"It came so out of the blue...I'd kept it all so hidden away, like it wasn't even a thing, but one day Holly said she couldn't deal with it any more. After years, it was just...over. And I mean, we hadn't really talked about it seriously or anything, but I think the thought of having half vampire kids freaked her out too, so we agreed it would be best to just...end it. So I let her go." 

Okay, the next fan that tried to tell Danny that Ross seemed like a selfish jerk was getting punched square in the face.

Danny was speechless in the face of the real truth of Ross' divorce, and struggled for the right thing to say, before settling on honesty. 

"Holy shit Ross, I had no idea." 

Ross' shoulder twitched up, a half attempt at a shrug. "Well, we couldn't exactly tell anyone the full story so we just kept it simple. It wasn't totally a lie, we really did just drift apart."

Letting go of his hand so he could put his arm around Ross instead, Danny pulled the smaller man into him. Ross wasn't a crier, so he just leant silently into the comforting embrace, tilting his head so he could rest it on Dan's shoulder. 

"I think I understand a little better now." Danny said quietly, running his fingers through Ross' hair. "Thank you for telling me...But you gotta know, I'm _so_ into the vampire thing, it's crazy. If I leave you, it's not gonna be over that, okay?" 

Ross choked on a laugh. "Wow, was that your attempt at being comforting? Because if it was, it was pretty shit." 

Happy to hear some humour returning to Ross' voice, Danny failed to smother a grin.

"So what you're saying is my comforting you _sucked_."

Ross groaned, shoving slightly away so he could sit up properly and glare at the other man. "Oh,  _my_ God, seriously?"  

"It made you laugh, right?" 

"More like it made me _barf_." But Ross was grinning, and that was what mattered most. 

Beaming at him, Danny let his hand creep to Ross' cheek, becoming more serious.

"You know I love you, right?" 

"I know, I know." Ross sighed, also becoming serious again as he leaned into the touch. "But you know talking about it once doesn't make it go away, right? I mean, I'll try to be less jealous, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not going to act this way again."

Danny could deal with that - yeah, it was frustrating and infuriating, but at least he understood _why_ now. So what if they had to keep repeating this conversation?  Maybe if they had it enough, Ross would finally start to believe what Danny was saying.

"And..." Ross looked up, "I really did like the covers. Mark's girlfriend...She, well, she did a good job. I guess I'm gonna have to be cool about you working with her." Danny grinned but Ross continued quickly, "But _I_ don't wanna hang out with her, okay?" 

"Fair enough. But next time she comes here, can you at least _try_ to be a bit nicer?" 

"I'll try, but no promises." Ross groused. "Especially when you come back two hours late." 

"Aww, did you miss me?" Danny teased.

He meant it lightly, but Ross' low growl of "fuck yes" was all the warning the taller man had.

There was a moment of whirling disorientation and Danny could only gasp stupidly. Ross had tumbled him effortlessly and the taller man found himself flat on his back on the couch, Ross' hands baring down on his shoulders and pinning him down.

Wheezing out a startled 'oomph', he didn't fight it when the Aussie nudged his lanky legs apart. 

"Holy shit Ross," Danny gasped incredulously, not sure if he was more shocked or horny. "You just bared your soul like, five minutes ago about your ex-wife and now you wanna get it on?" 

"Yep." Ice blue eyes and a sharp grin held Dan in place as much as Ross' press at his shoulders did.

God, he was intense sometimes. 

Instantly hard, Danny blurted a laugh. "Always a master with words." 

"Well, shut me up then." Ross taunted, palming at Danny's shamefully half-hard dick through the tight denim of his jeans. 

Unable to fight the way his hips canted up at Ross' touch, Danny got with the program and moved one of his legs so that his knee was pressing against his boyfriends crotch. 

"I'm still a little sore." Danny admitted, even as he humped at Ross' leg.

The Australian's expression softened, and his hands let up a little too. "I'll be gentle."

It was a promise, and Danny whined as he watched Ross' fangs extend.

"The others will be back soon." Danny said breathlessly, ever as he pawed at his scarf and tossed it aside. He didn't really know why he said it - he was so hard right now, he wouldn't have cared if all the Grumps walked back in that very moment and sat down to watch.

Ross quirked a brow. "You looking for an out, Avidan?"

Danny shook his head frantically and Ross chuckled.

"Good. But if it makes you feel any better, I can be quick." Ross grinned, stepping off the couch for a second so he could pull his pants off, then quickly pinned Danny back down again.

"Quick is good, quick is fucking awesome." Danny gibbered as Ross grabbed his zipper and tugged it down.

Ross grinned fangs flashing, "That's what I thought."

~ * ~

 

You didn't dare breathe out a sigh of relief until you were safely in your car and free from Ross' wrathful stare.

Mark had tried to ask what was wrong, but you'd promised him you'd explain when you got back to his place.

As it was, you were following behind Mark, grateful for the chance to calm down a bit so you could enjoy your time with him rather than being stressed out.

God, you couldn't remember the last time you'd felt _so_ awkward, but now that you were out of the death glare, you did feel just the littlest bit sorry for Ross.

You got jealous too - how could you _not_ when Mark was such a good looking guy, and so popular with his fans, _particularly_ the female ones? The man had tumblr blogs dedicated to his body parts for goodness sake! So you could totally sympathise.

You didn't have to be friends with everyone, but at the same time it just...didn't sit well with you to have such an antagonistic relationship with the man. You didn't want to be seen to be interfering, but you at least wanted to be comfortable enough that you could go to the office without feeling like you'd have to walk on egg shells.

At the very least, Ross would need to tolerate you, since Danny was keen to colab in the future, not to mention that you wanted to spend more time with Danny considering your shared secret.

Danny would just have to help you out. It wasn't like he hadn't persuaded Ross is the past.

Blushing a little at the thought, you turned your mind to your own persuasion mission. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but you were hoping that you could at least talk to Mark about biting you. Your chat with Danny had made you feel bold, and you were desperate to try and make _some_ headway.

You were so lost in thought you almost missed Mark's car turning, but luckily managed to make your turn without anything other than a honked horn at your hasty indicating.

Quickly following behind Mark, you pulled up behind him when he parked.

By the time you'd stopped, he was out of his car and waiting at your boot to grab your duffle bag. It was silly, but it was a little tradition for him to carry your bags, even though they weren't very heavy. When you used to fly to visit him, he'd do the same thing at the airport. It was such a gentlemanly gesture and it made you grin.

Tapping on your trunk, you popped it open and stepped out of your car as he hefted your duffle bag onto his shoulder.

"Thanks."

You followed behind him, unable to hold back the little bit of envy you always felt when you walked into Mark's apartment. It wasn't like he lived opulently or anything like that, but his place was just so big and spacious compared to yours.

"You hungry?" Mark asked over his shoulder, popping your bag down. "I'm starving. Arin and I only stopped for snack breaks."

You weren't super hungry - you'd ploughed through the sushi with Dan, but Mark cooking for you was a pretty rare treat so you weren't going to turn it down. 

"I could eat." You shrugged as he came into the kitchen. Sitting on one of his stools, you leant your elbows on the island counter and rested your chin on your palm.

"Pasta sound okay?" He asked, already into his pantry.

"Sounds perfect. Want some help?" 

"Nah." Mark leaned in to grab something from his fridge and you didn't miss the opportunity to admire his ass in his tight black jeans. "I've got this."

You watched, smiling as he began to prep and chop ingredients. He wasn't any master chef, but he was actually a pretty decent cook, and most impressively, he knew a pretty big variety of meals. 

You knew some guys who'd moved out of home with culinary ability that didn't extend any further than bacon and eggs. 

Hell, while you'd been studying you'd met one guy who lived off subway and pre-packaged salads because anything more complicated than pouring milk on his cereal resulted in kitchen disaster.

So, maybe it was an unfair assumption, but being a guy (and a gamer at that), with such a hectic schedule to boot, you hadn't thought he'd been much of a cook. You'd assumed he would have leant more towards the take-out or eat-out lifestyle. 

But no, he liked eating properly (though he wasn't immune to the odd bout of greasy food when he was out with his friends), and he'd romanced you with delicious food on several occasions. You couldn't deny that there was definitely an allure to a man who could cook a good meal, at least to you.

When you'd asked him about it, he'd said once before his mom had been determined to make sure he could look after himself when he left home - even when he was at college, he'd never lived off milk and beer and two dollar ramen.

More than anything though, he _liked_ food. Even though he could live off blood, he enjoyed eating and he enjoyed sharing food with others.

Maybe he even liked how normal it made him feel? You could only speculate on that point, but in any case, it was obviously one of life's simple pleasures for him. You could see it in his face as he cheekily popped a bit of capsicum into his mouth before he took all his ingredients over to his stove and tossed them into a pan. 

The kitchen soon filled with the sounds and smells of cooking; the tap of a wooden spoon against metal, and the delicious aroma of garlic (that still made you laugh), capsicum, bacon and onion frying off.

It _did_ smell good...Suddenly you were hungrier than you thought.

"So..." His back was to you, but you could hear the curiosity in his voice. "Wanna tell me what was going down with you and Ross at the office today?"

"Ross was...well, I guess, _is_ jealous of me spending time with Danny. Apparently he can get pretty possessive."

"Huh, I wondered if it was that." Mark said offhandedly as he tossed some pasta into the pot of boiling water he had beside he pan he was cooking in.

"Uh, sorry?" You asked, more than a little incredulous.

"Ross is always a little... _funny_ about new people. When I did the song with Starbomb, back before I knew them all that well, Ross barely spoke two words to me, and man, when I started recording in the Grump office full time, Ross spent a _whole_ day just glaring at me."

"You didn't think to tell me? A little warning would have been nice!"

Mark turned for a second to give you a sheepish look. "I was sort of hoping Ross might have finally been over it. He and Danny have been together for a while now, so I thought it might not be as bad."

"Well, you thought wrong." You said with an exasperated sigh, not really angry, but a little frustrated that Mark had thought to leave out the important detail.

"I'm sorry...Do you forgive me?" He asked as he handed you a steaming bowl of penne aribiata.

Trying resolutely to ignore his pout, you took the bowl.

"I'll think about it after dinner." You said archly, grinning as you accepted the fork he offered you.

It tasted damn good. Aribiata wasn't a hard dish, but it was easy to make it either bland or too spicy, but with Mark's, the hint of chilli gave it enough kick to make your taste buds zing without being too hot, and he hadn't over cooked the pasta. He knew you were a sucker for Italian food, and you polished off your bowl faster than you'd thought you would.

Mark was still eating, but when you got up to rinse your bowl in the sink, he quickly abandoned his food and snuck up behind you.

"So," His hands instantly slid to their favourite spot on your hips and you felt the heat radiating from chest against your back. "Have you decided what you're going to do to me? Are you going to forgive me? Or are you going to punish me?" His voice dropped to a purr as he whispered in your ear, "I wouldn't fight you if did."

Okay, well, this was out of the blue, but you weren't going to complain.

"Ha, I could take you in a fight anyway." You said, even as you felt your body warm in response to him. It was all bluster - if he wanted to seriously hurt you, you stood next to no chance, but there was something about him being able to be so strong, but acting so gentle that really got you going. It was a weird, but what the hell, it did it for you.

You let Mark turn you, his grin predatory, and you were happily powerless as he walked you into the wall and easily kept you there. You didn't fight him either as when he lifted your arms up and kept both your hands pinned with one of his own.

"You think so?" He purred, his voice deep and velvety as he leant into you so that you were almost nose to nose. 

You felt like your heart was in your mouth. Head tilted back, arms pinned, and Mark's solid leg pressing between your warming thighs, you arched into him as much as you could.

Oh, that was _hot_. 

"I sure do." You breathed faintly, somehow managing not to stutter. Your heart was thundering, and you felt your arms shake.

"Well, I _don't_ think so." He growled, kissing at the base of your neck, tongue laving at the skin there. Mark's breath was so warm, his lips peppering scorching yet careful kisses beneath your ear, just teasing.

Oh, god, you wanted him to bite you. You were supposed to be talking about this, having a rational, slow discussion, but he was so _close_...You could feel yourself getting  _wet_ , and you couldn't help your needy little whimper.

"Please," you murmured, urging, baring your neck to him. "Mark, _please_ bite me."

Mark froze.

He paused, millimeters from your neck, and you heard him swallow and groan, low and loud and _frustrated_ \- okay, not the sound you wanted.

Shit!

Regret flooded you instantly - it had just slipped out!

Where was your patience?

 _'Don't make any rash moves'._ Danny had said. _'Talk to him'_ Danny had said! God, you screwed up. You hadn't been able to help yourself!

His grip around your wrists slackened and he rested his head on your shoulders.

"I can't." He growled, "goddamn it, your are _so_ fucking hot right now, and I want to, but I just can't do it."

Mark stepped back and let you away from the wall, turning away from you and running his fingers through his hair, muttering furiously under his breath.

Choking down your disappointment and anger with yourself, you drew in a few deep breaths and willed yourself to try and be calm.

"No, Mark. It's fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, but...I didn't want you to stop."

"You _whimpered."_ He growled, almost accusing, voice thick with disbelief, "and your heartbeat went crazy!" 

"Not because I was scared! Jesus, Mark, can't you _smell_ me? I am so damn turned on right now, it's not even funny! _I want you to bite me!_ "

You needed to stop shouting. You were a grown woman - throwing a tantrum wasn't fair, and it sure as hell wasn't sexy. You were _not_ going to make him feel forced to do anything he didn't feel comfortable doing.

But judging by the doubt in his expression, you were going to have to spell it out. Awkward conversation incoming, but it was now or never. Danny had told you that you needed to be honest, be totally open and tell him why you wanted this.

"Mark," you said gently. "I really want to talk about this with you. We _need_ to talk about this."

"Do we?" Mark asked morosely. It seemed like he really was the determined to be in the guilt train that he was willing to ignore all the signals you were sending out. "I just _can't_ understand how you want this."

"Well, I do. I _want_ you to bite me, Mark. I want to be your feeder. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm not afraid of you taking my blood, and I'm totally not afraid of you biting me during sex."

Mark's mouth flopped open and he struggled to try and find words. You kept talking before he could though. 

"I know you might think I'm not sure, but I _know_ I am. Imagine if you were me, and I told you there was something you could do for me that would help and make us both feel good. Wouldn't you want to do it?"

"It _hurts_ you though!" He finally managed.

"I can't lie about that, but the pain is nothing. Seriously Mark, as bad as it looks, it doesn't hurt any more than getting a needle." 

"I didn't tell you so you could offer yourself up!" 

"I know that," you said, fighting to keep your voice calm. "But you _did_ tell me, and more than that, you _wanted_ to tell me. It wasn't just some spur of the moment thing either. You mentioned two days before that you had something to tell me when we spoke on Skype, and the night you told me you said 'I'd rehearsed so many different ways'." 

"I wish I hadn't told you." Mark said bleakly. "Things were better before." 

Okay, that stung, but you were determined.

"So why did you then?" It was a forceful question, but your voice was gentle. "Why did you want me to know? Why didn't you just let things keep going like they were? It's not like I was getting suspicious."

It was true. Mark had been masterful at hiding his vampiric nature. The only possible tell he'd shown was his strength, and even then, he'd tempered it to match to what you'd expect from someone who was solid like him. 

Mark sighed, most of his anger seeping out. 

"I told you because I felt...I felt like keeping it from you meant that you didn't really know who I was."

"So talk to me." You pleaded. "I want to try and understand. You just said that you wanted to bite me, and you've bitten me before, but what do you mean that you can't? Is it the idea of biting my neck, or is it the thought of doing it during sex?"

You honestly expected him to shut you down again, but after a moment, he heaved a sigh.

"I've always been freaked out by neck injuries. I mean, if I go too far, I could kill you, or paralyse you or...I dunno." He threw his hands up. "Ever since I was little, I've always been scared, I know, it's fucking dumb, a vampire who can't bite someone's neck. What even _is_ that?" He was pacing the floor like an angry wild cat, gesticulating madly.

Ah, you could vaguely remember something about neck injuries or something like that in one of his videos. It _was_ a little strange to think that a vampire couldn't bite someone in the neck, but hey, who cared? Maybe it didn't have to be your neck.

"Mark-"

"I don't _want_ this to be part of my life." Mark said quietly. "I was born this way, this wasn't something I chose, and I've always tried to hide it, or ignore it. Having someone _want_ this isn't something I've ever experienced. I could try to bite your neck if you really want it, but..."

He finally stopped pacing, his shoulders sagging as he trailed off.

"Hey, hey, I don't like where this is going." Guilt welling in your chest at how selfish you'd been. "You biting me was something I wanted, sure, but not at the expense of making you miserable. What's our rule?"

Mark sighed, looking briefly at the ceiling before he focused back on you.

"Nothing happens if we aren't both comfortable."

"Exactly. I'm sorry I put so much pressure on you. Sex shouldn't ever just be about making one person happy. You know that's not the way things work between us, not now, not _ever_."

"I know, I just feel bad that I can't do this for you...And I didn't mean that I wish I hadn't told you, I just...didn't want it to change things." Mark murmured, eyes of the floor.

"It was always going to change things." You said softly, "but it can change things for the better for us. For _both_ of us." 

Mark was silent, but he looked up at you.

This was it. 

"Mark, when you fed from me, I was freaked out at first, but seeing you that next morning, seeing how much better you were, it made me feel so relieved and happy that I'd helped you. The thought of being your feeder makes me feel _special_. Doubly so since you've never fed from a human before. I want to be there for you and help you, if you'll let me."

"And...during sex?" 

The tips of Mark's ears were red, and your own cheeks were flaming, but you didn't avoid the question. 

"Well, not going to ask you to pull out the whips and chains or anything, but that little bit of pain adds intensity and there's just...something really intimate about the whole thing, even if it hurts a bit." You shrugged helplessly.  "I'm sure you haven't missed the fact that I get pretty worked up any time you go all macho and manhandle me. Besides..." Well, you were already dying of embarrassment so you figured you may as well go for it. "I've heard that blood tastes really good if who you're feeding from has an orgasm."

Mark snorted and shook his head. "Another pearl of internet wisdom?" 

You couldn't exactly tell him you'd heard it from Danny, so you shrugged again and gave him a tiny grin. "Something like that."

Mark sighed, his expression unreadable. "It's not just the neck thing...I'm scared, too." He said quietly after a moment. "Because I _want_ your blood as much as you want to give it to me. The night I drank from you, it was because I was desperate, but it tasted amazing, and I felt so _good_ the next morning, like I could take on anything. But I'm scared about so many things. Like, what if it didn't hurt that one time but in the future it does? And what if I get addicted to drinking fresh blood? What if once I start this, I can't go back? It terrifies me to need another person so much. I've always had people around me, but when it came to everything about this, I've only ever relied on myself."

You took a step forward, and oh-so gently, wrapped your arms around him. He tensed, but didn't rebuff the embrace.

"I need you, just as much." You said quietly, "and that has nothing to do with blood. It's part of being in love with someone, they become this person you'd do anything for. I can't explain how much you've helped me, how much joy you've brought to my life, and now I want to try and do the same for you." Nuzzling into his shoulder, you forced the next part out, "but, in the end it's your choice, and I don't ever want to make you unhappy, so if you ask me to never talk about all of this again, I swear to you that I won't."

There was a beat of silence between you, the weight of your declaration heavy, but you felt the tiniest bit better when Mark's chocolate eyes met yours for a moment before he leant in to kiss you. It was soft and gentle and just the littlest bit sad, but still so comforting. The lust from earlier was gone, but the warmth was still there.

When Mark pulled back, he held your gaze. "Can I think about it?"

You blinked in surprise and let out the breath you hadn't realised you'd been holding. 

After what he'd just said, you'd been expecting an outright no.

"Of course you can. I just wanted you to know how I feel about the whole situation."

Mark only nodded, still deep in thought.

The mood from earlier had evaporated, and neither of you were particularly wanting to rekindle it. Letting him go and subtly taking a moment to smooth your clothes, you gave Mark's hand a squeeze.

"So, last time I was here I remember getting some cookie dough ice-cream that I never finished off. I'm guessing it's still here" A little nod. "Good, in my experience, heavy emotional conversations should always be followed with ice-cream. Please tell me you at least have some spoons now, rather than just a single ice-cream scoop."

That at least earned a tiny grin.

The mood was still a little uneasy, but you actually did feel better. For once, Mark had actually _listened_ , rather than just shutting the conversation down, and for the first time, he'd actually been honest about how he was feeling too.

"I have a full compliment of cutlery now, thank you very much."

"Oooh, fancy." You laughed, going into his kitchen and opening his cupboards. Fishing out two bowls and spoons, you opened his freezer and pulled out the tub. Grabbing his ice-cream scoop (rinsing it out for any phantom trances of too many scovilles hot sauce), you dished few generous scoops into the bowls.

He was watching you, expression more thoughtful than happy or sad, but when you passed him his bowl, he gave you a little smile.

"Come sit in the den." He offered.  He flicked the TV on, running some cartoon you didn't know, and when you paused and went to sit beside him on the couch, he tutted softly and put his bowl down for a moment so he could pick you up and pull you into his lap.

Relieved at the connection, you instantly relaxed into him. You hadn't wanted to push if he needed a little space, but you were thrilled that he was still instigating contact. It was that same needy sort of touch, like after the first time he'd bitten you, but it was something, and you clung to the fact that he wasn't pushing you away.

You were both silent while you were eating, but it was more of a contemplative quiet than an unhappy one.

When you'd finished he let you go for a minute so he could take your bowl and put it with his own on his side table. The thought to get up and rinse them crossed your mind, but you decided you were far happier where you were in Mark's lap.

It wasn't exactly how you were planning to end your first night with him, but it could have been a lot worse - at least you hadn't fought. You didn't exactly feel great with the weird 'not sure where we stand' place you'd left off, but you at least had a little more insight into where he was coming from, and he could hopefully say the same for you.

Just keep talking...that's what Danny had said.

You were determined to do that as much as you could without making him feel unhappy. You didn't want to be coercive or make him feel like you were manipulating him, but you wanted him to understand you weren't afraid. It wasn't fair to discount his fears, but you were sure that there was a way you could make things work. Ross and Danny had, and though you couldn't bring that up with him, it gave you a little confidence at least.

As much as you wanted it, and as much as you wanted to help Mark embrace this part of himself, in the end, it was Mark's choice. You could have gone on with him never telling you the truth, without ever knowing anything about bites or feeders.

It wasn't like you could forget it, but if he came to the conclusion that he wanted to act as if you didn't know the secret, then you would do the best you could to go back to the way things had been before. You wanted to be with him, no matter which way it all turned out. If Mark chose to ask you to never speak about him being a vampire, you _meant_ it when you said you wouldn't ever bring it up.

When Mark laughed at something on the screen, you melted into the way his warm chuckle vibrated through you. Closing your eyes and tilting your head back onto his shoulder, you sighed happily.

No, things hadn't gone the way you'd hoped, but you were still here with him, and even though you were a little unsure, he was still cuddling you close. You'd take the small things where you could, they were what mattered. Moments like this, they were what you treasured.

But, you couldn't help but think - hope - that maybe, the fact that he hadn't said 'no' outright meant there was at least some lingering chance for you to become his feeder.

You'd said what you wanted, laid it out and told him without a shred of a doubt what you wanted and why. You weren't going to push, or force or fight. It was all up to him. At least he'd said he'd think about it.

It wasn't the yes you'd practically been begging for, but it was a start, and that was enough for now. 

 

~ * ~

 

You hadn't even realised you'd been that tired, but you must have been, because when you opened your eyes, it was to pale light creeping through slatted blinds and unfamiliar bed sheets.

There was a moment of sleepy disorientation since you weren't in your own room, followed closely by the cold shock of realising that you weren't wearing pants, and that there was an arm around you and the warmth of another body behind you.

Thankfully, you quickly remembered that you were at Mark's place in Los Angeles. You were still in the shirt and underwear you'd been wearing last night, only missing your jeans and shoes and socks. It was a silly vanity, but you were silently relieved you'd shaved your legs, and that the black and pink boyleg panties you were wearing were at least one of your nicer sets.

The last thing you remembered was ice-cream and being on the couch, then...Mark must have carried you up to his bed, and you had probably been so tired, he'd just decided to strip you down enough that you could sleep comfortably, rather than waking you up to have a shower or change into your pyjamas.

Laying on your side with your back against his naked chest and the heavy weight of his solid arm pulling you into him was so wonderful, you felt your heart lurch in your chest. Considering the emotions from yesterday, waking up next to him was a welcome thing.

Content and warm, you sighed and snuggled down. You just wanted to stay cozy and happy in his bed forever, being cuddled by Mark and feeling like everything was going to be okay.

"Hey, you awake?" Mark's voice was soft, obviously not wanting to wake you if you were just stirring.

"Yeah." You said after a few seconds, voice muzzy from sleep as you rolled over to look at him.

He didn't look nearly as bleary as you, so he must have been awake for a little while. His arm tightened, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

"Morning, sleepy head."

"Morning." You blinked, bringing your hand up to brush the sleep out of your eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nearly nine."

"Really?" Wow, jeez. Later than you usually slept in. The alarm on your phone normally woke you, but Mark mustn't have brought it upstairs.

"Yup," Mark laughed. "You fell asleep while we were on the couch, so I guess you must have been pretty tired. I figured I'd just let you sleep for as long as you needed."

"Oh," you _had_ pulled a few long nights working on the NSP covers and trying to get your other work project finished so you'd have the weekend free. Maybe it was all starting to catch up with you. "I was pretty tired." You admitted.

"I figured, you didn't even stir when I undressed you." He paused, studying you careful. "I hope that was okay."

"Of course," you said, pushing your hair out of your eyes. "It's not like I can sleep in my shoes, and sleeping in jeans is a pain too."

"Good." He let out a relieved breath.

Plus it wasn't as if he hadn't seen you totally naked before. That he was tentative about undressing you now was a just a little discouraging, but you didn't want to read too much into it.

Kissing your forehead, he moved his arm from around you so he could sit up on his side of the bed. "C'mon," He smiled at you. "We should get up."

"Do I have to?" You sighed. "I'm soooo comfy." You pulled the blanket up under your chin and gave him your best adorable pout.

"I'll make you pancakes." He sing-songed.

" _Sexy_ pancakes?"

"Baby," he said, dropping his voice into his silly macho tone, " _any_ pancake I make is, by definition, a _sexy_ pancake."

You couldn't help it - you burst into a fit of giggles. Taking advantage of your distraction, he pounced, easily wrestling the blanket off of you, and you shrieked when he lifted you off the bed and hefted you over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

"Put me _down!_ " You screeched, thumping at his back half-heartedly, not really all that upset at him lugging you around. Especially since he was shirtless and carrying you like you weighed nothing, _and_ you got to stare straight down that lovely expanse of bare back to his ass.

If that wasn't an awesome way to start your morning, well, you didn't know what was. You were getting a little light headed, and you weren't sure whether it was because of the way he was carrying you, or the rather tasty view.

Probably a little bit of both.

He was careful down the stairs, and even gentler when he put you one of the chairs at in the kitchen. It was impossible to look indignant while your face was flushed and Mark could hear your heart thundering a million miles an hour.

You were grinning like an absolute idiot when Mark leaned in to press his lips to yours, and you wrapped your arms around his neck and returned the kiss, morning breath and all.

"I have something special planned for us." He said, pulling back so he could kiss your forehead. "After breakfast, of course."

"Of course." It wasn't fair that you were so breathless, but Jesus, he gave you crazy butterflies in your stomach. He just made you feel so...loved, and he spoiled you rotten.

You were determined not to ruin things today like you had last night when you begged him to bite you. You weren't going to mention anything about his vampirism - you weren't going to bring it up until he did, and if he didn't bring it up, you were going to keep to your promise.

And honestly, you wanted to have sex with him before you left. You missed that contact, that intimacy, and last nights aborted attempt had just made you want him more, biting or not.

Brushing your hair back again, you quickly went into his lounge room to grab your phone. When you unlocked it, you were surprised to see messages from Danny.

Swiping across to read the text, you felt your good mood falter a little.

_Hey, sorry about Ross. I talked to him about being a jerk. Next time you come in he's promised to be on his best behaviour._

Then, 

_Hope everything went okay with Mark ;D_

It was an innocent tease, but it just reminded you of how well things _hadn't_ gone. You supposed part of your problem had been how excited you'd gotten talking to Danny about everything, you'd just been so keen to try and get Mark to bite you that night...

But your relationship wasn't the same as Ross and Danny's, and Ross had been feeding from Danny a lot longer before they started to incorporate that aspect into sex. As much as Danny had told you not to rush, it was exactly what you'd tried to do.

You weren't sure whether or not it was too early for you to be texting Danny - you didn't want to wake him up - but you decided that you'd take the chance.

You sighed and typed out a reply:

_I'm sorry I upset Ross. I hope he wasn't too bad after I ran off. And things didn't really go all that well, unfortunately. I might have screwed up my chances, but I'm gonna have to live with it. :(_

Walking back into the kitchen, you sat where you had watched him make the pasta last night and found that your brief flicker of bad mood was hard to maintain when you could watch Mark cook shirtless.

Oh, scar or not, he had a nicely toned stomach, and you _never_ had your fill of the casual bulge of his arms. No man had the right to look so sexy whisking pancake batter - it was positively criminal.

Your phone buzzed, and it was a real effort to tear your eyes away from your leering.

_Ross was being a dick, and he was actually impressed with the album covers too. Sorry things didn't work out, but I'm sure you didn't screw up your chances. Just give him time :D :D_

There was a brief pause, then another text came through.

_I'm here to listen if you wanna talk :)_

"Hey, everything okay?"

Your head shot up at Mark's question, and you did feel a little twist of dishonesty that he didn't know you'd spoken to Danny about him being a vampire - you had wondered if keeping it from him was unfair, but you didn't even know if Mark knew Ross was a vampire so...it was a little bit awkward.

For all your excitement over having Danny to talk to, you had both sort of put yourselves in tight spots.

"Oh, yeah it's all fine. Danny was just apologising about Ross."

Mark frowned. "This early in the morning?"

You flinched at the insinuation and mirrored Mark's frown. "He actually texted me last night, but since I fell asleep I never answered. I'm just being polite and replying. Please don't tell me that _I_ have to contend with a jealous boyfriend too."

Mark held the whisk up in mock surrender. "I was just asking."

"Well, good. You have absolutely _nothing_ to be jealous about. Danny's cute and talented and all, but I much prefer my men half-Korean, dark haired, muscly and currently cooking me pancakes."

Mark shimmed his shoulders and laughed, that deep, curling laugh that sent tingles from the tip of your toes to the roots of your hair.

"Your type is _extremely_ specific."

"Well, I'm just lucky that I found you, right?"

"I think I'm the lucky one." He said softly, heading back towards the stove before you had the chance to answer.

He caught you so off guard sometimes, goofy one second, then suddenly sweet enough to make you lose your words.

You were happy to go back to your perving as Mark danced around his kitchen, humming under his breath and shaking his hips along to his own music.

Hmmm, that was another thing that she be outlawed. For all that Mark seemed to have a fascination with your hips, you were rather fond of the way he could move his.

It was almost a shame when he finished cooking, just because you couldn't watch him any more, but at least the reward was delicious pancakes.

You sat next to one another, his pyjama pants rubbing against your bare skin when he nudged his leg gently into yours,

The 'Sexy Mark' video may have been a joke, but the man sure could cook excellent pancakes. Unlike the mix he'd poured all over himself that day (multiple times, he was happy to remind you of how he "suffered for his art"), when he was actually cooking them for real, he made his own batter and it was delectable.

Like always, he was aghast at the fact that you put butter and _jam_ on your pancakes instead of syrup, but it didn't stop him from snagging the last bite of jammy pancake from your plate when you were too full to finish.

"I still don't know how you can like _jam_ more than maple syrup."

He always liked to tease you about that - if it had of upset him that much, he wouldn't have always made sure there was jam in house when you stayed. It was obvious he didn't eat it, since the jar would be untouched until the next time you visited.

"I'm just weird like that I guess. Speaking of syrup, you have some on your chin, right here." You pointed to just beneath your bottom lip, where his cute little dot of stubble was.

He swiped at it. "Did I get it?"

 "Yup, but you missed some. Riiiiiight here." You pointed to your lips leant over to kiss him before he had a chance to react.

He snorted, but returned the kiss, curling his tongue into your mouth.

When you broke apart, he was smiling, but he quirked one of his brows at you.

"Did I _really_ have syrup there?"

"I'll never tell." You grinned with a wink. Grabbing both your plates, you headed over to put them in the sink and wash them. Mark cooked, so it only seemed fair for you to clean.

The dishes from Mark cooking last night and your ice-cream were still in there too, so they had to be done.

"Hey, we can do those later."

"Nah, we may as well do them now." Turning the tap on to fill the sink, you stacked the dishes up. "So, you gonna tell me about this 'something special' you have planned for us?"

"Huh?" Mark said dumbly.

You looked over your shoulder and realised Mark had been staring at your ass. It wasn't like what you were wearing was really _that_ sexy, just the white button up shirt from yesterday and your underwear, but it had been a while since you'd been in his kitchen, let alone half naked in his kitchen. And those in glass houses shouldn't exactly throw stones...It wasn't like you hadn't just been eating him with your eyes a minute ago.

It was thrilling to have him looking at you like that and you tried to hide your smile as you turned back to the sink.

"I asked what you had planned for today."

"Oh, well. It's sort of a secret. But you packed a nice dress right?"

"Yeah." And some slinky underwear to boot, but he didn't need to know that.

"Well, I've got some stuff planned for today, then we'll come back here and change and I'm taking you out for dinner."

"Mark," You sighed, fondly exasperated as you scrubbed, "I told you that you don't have to take me out for dinner _every_ time I come visit."

He wasn't exactly the sort of guy to flash his cash or brag about money, but he always liked to treat you and take you out when you visited. You'd struggled to be comfortable with it at first, but he did the same for any of his friends, and you could occasionally convince him to let the at least try to balance things out when he let you pay for things sometimes.

"I know." He came up beside you and grabbed a tea-towel to start drying the dishes you'd washed. "But we're celebrating this time. You're going to make an album cover. Isn't that exciting? And I just hit another sub milestone, so it's a celebration for both of us."

"Well, okay, but nothing too extravagant, alright?" He grinned and you sighed again. "You're impossible."

You washed the last dish and drained the sink, then dried your hands off.

"Do you mind if I go for a shower? I feel a bit gross since I didn't have one last night before I went to bed."

"Go ahead. You know where the towels are, right?"

You were tempted to ask him to join you, but you just nodded and headed down to his bathroom.

Things had felt so happy and carefree this morning, you were resolved to keep these good spirits up. You didn't know what Mark had in store, but whatever it was, you knew you were going to love it.

~ * ~

 

You had to give it to Mark, he knew what made you happy.

Your 'something special' had turned out to be a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum to see the _huge_ history of animation exhibition that they were having.

It should have been obvious since you always asked to go to the museums every time you visited, but the fact that this time around, the theme was animation meant that you were in heaven.

You'd always loved all forms of the art, but even without mentioning your long forgotten illustrator dreams, the fact that you had a huge animated movie collection had given Mark at least some indication that you were a big fan. Sure, there were some people who turned their nose up at the idea of someone 'your age' loving animated films so much, but you didn't really care.

And there was _everything_ here, from Walt Disney and Betty Boop to Beatrix Potter and Hayo Miyazki.

You'd dragged Mark to every display, eagerly pointing like an excited child, and reading every placard. He smiled at you indulgently, his hand warm at the small of your back as you had babbled about stuff he probably didn't really care about, but happily listened to all the same.

He'd taken you to a cafe for a light lunch afterwards - you'd spent hours in the museum, so he didn't want you to eat anything too big and spoil your appetite for wherever he was taking you that night.

It had been so wonderful, to just spend the day laughing and hanging out with him, and for once, he actually hadn't been recognised. Usually when you were out now, at least one or two fans came up to Mark to ask for photos or just to talk. You didn't mind it, but it was nice to just be the two of you.

By the time you'd left the cafe, the sun was setting, and you walked hand in hand back to his car.

  
It really had been a wonderful day, and you were looking even more forward to going out to dinner with him, especially when he'd revealed he'd made a booking at your favourite Italian place. You'd only been there once before since the prices were astronomical, but the food was amazing and Mark had reassured you yet again that he was happy to pay since you were celebrating.

Pricing aside, Cafe Nocello was gorgeous, and you were _always_ in the mood for their sumptuous food.

He really did spoil you.

Thank goodness you were going to be doing some spoiling of your own.

Mark was in the shower, and that happily gave you time to prepare. Biting or not, you were going to have sex tonight if you had anything to do with it.

You had a few nice dresses in your wardrobe, but you'd gone out and grabbed something special for this visit, as over indulgent as it was.

This dress was a vivid forest green and knee length, and most bravely, it was strapless. You hadn't worn anything strapless before, but the colour and the fit had been too good to pass up. You felt a little self conscious, plus it was a little cool, so you were wearing it with a black bolero cardigan, but that would come off when the two of your were alone. And so would the dress...The black lack strapless bra and bikini cut panties you were wearing underneath were simple, but paired with the nude lace trimmed thigh highs and your black heels, you thought you looked pretty damn good. Maybe even good enough to eat, but your promise floated back into your mind and you smothered the thought down.

You'd styled your hair back into a bun, with a few wisps of your fringe tamed into place with some hair spray. A diamond tear drop necklace and matching earrings (a rather pricey graduation gift from your parents that you only wore for special occasions) made your whole outfit look polished and sophisticated without being too over the top.

Your makeup was minimal; natural on your foundation and blush, soft and smokey on your eyes, and you were just applying your lipstick when you heard Mark's soft intake of breath behind you.

"Wow, you look amazing." He murmured, coming up behind you. It was weird being almost as tall as him in your heels, but you let your eyes rove over his reflection - thank goodness that part of being a vampire wasn't true either.

He was dressed sharply in black dress pants and a deep blue long sleeve button up shirt. He'd trimmed his stubble black, and must have been wearing his contacts since his glasses weren't in sight, but hilariously, he hadn't brushed his hair, so the 'floof' was sticking out at all angles.

Hot as he looked, what caught your attention most was his eyes.

He must have drunk blood - you realised with a slight start - he had that sparkle, that bounce in his step and the energy thrumming through his body that you come to recognised only happened when he'd had blood.

"Sorry, I need some hair mousse." He said as he shimmied past, snapping you out of your staring. "My other one's empty."

"You have a supply of hair gel in _both_ of your bathrooms?" You asked with a snort.

"Hair care is important, and it's _mousse_ , not gel. Two very different things."

Sass aside, you moved out of his way to let him into his cupboard, deciding not to mention the time he'd put butter in his hair. He'd obviously learned his lesson.

When he straightened up, he looked at you again, lips curling up. "Did I mention you look beautiful?"

"You said 'amazing', but I'll take both." Spraying a last blast of hair spray to smooth down the few errant fly away hairs, you smiled at him. "You also look very handsome. Well, you will when you brush your hair."

Mark grinned and ran his fingers through his wet locks. "I'll get right on it. We need to go in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Hey, I'm ready." You said airily. "I'm just waiting on you."

"Well, I'd better hustle then, huh?" He chuckled.

"You bet Mister! I will be _extremely_ unhappy if I don't get my Italian."

"Where's you're 'Oh Mark, nothing too extravagant' now?" Mark asked, his voice pitching into a silly falsetto when he quoted you.

"Go!' You laughed, chucking the cap to your hair spray can at him as he scuttled out the door and it thwacked harmlessly against the door.

God, he could be a dork, but he was _your_ dork.

~ * ~

 

All traces of dorkiness had vanished though when you'd arrived at Nocello, and Mark slid seamlessly into being a sincere and utterly suave gentleman.

Who, much like you, seemed to have seduction on the brain too. He was normally rather well behaved, but all night, Mark had been subtly touching, giving you sultry, loaded looks and speaking to you an octave deeper than he usually did, because, of _course_ he knew what that did to you.

It wasn't like you could really talk, you'd been sending his signals back just as clearly, feeling bold and flirty and full of anticipation at the thought of what would hopefully be coming after dinner.

Your meal had been gorgeous, bruschetta della casa and arancini to start, followed by a rich and creamy gnocchi for you and spaghetti alla pescatore for Mark. You'd done the disgustingly sappy thing of feeding each other across the table, and even though you weren't a huge seafood fan, when you tried Mark's meal, you couldn't deny it's freshness, or how well the creamy tomato sauce complimented the marinara mix.

There had been plenty of white wine too, though you weren't drunk, just feeling pleasantly buzzed by the time Mark suggested getting dessert.

You were half way through your shared tiramisu when Mark gave you a look that made you pause mid spoonful. Your conversation had been flowing all night, so when it stopped suddenly, the silence felt like it meant _something_.

"So, hey...I've been thinking all day about last night, and I think we could try again tonight...Y'know? Maybe pick up where we left off."

His tone was casual but his expression was filled with quiet intensity, completely serious and actually...a little hopeful too. 

He'd not mentioned anything all day, you hadn't even realised it had been on his mind, but your physical response was instant - you felt yourself flush and warm at the thought, crossing your legs over at the almost shameful throb of lust. Suddenly swallowing your mouthful was like swallowing a stone. 

There wasn't any point in pretending you weren't thrilled - Mark's nostrils twitched, picking up the change in your scent in a way that should have been mortifying but somehow wasn't - but you had to be positive this was what he wanted too before you got your hopes up.

"Are you sure?" You asked, amazed at how level you kept your voice. 

"I'm sure. I want to try this. For _both_ of us."

"Okay. But there's no pressure, alright?" 

"Okay." He nodded.

Sliding your hand across the table, you brushed your fingers over his. "I love you, no matter how things turn out, okay?"

A soft smile with his nod this time. "Okay." 

"Can I ask why you changed your mind?" It probably wasn't the best question to ask, but you wanted to know.

"I haven't really, not a hundred percent, but I want to try." He ran his fingers around his wine glass as he finished the last lingering sip.

"We'll take it slow, I promise."

A little grin quirked his lips up. "Isn't the guy supposed to be the one saying that?"

You shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a modern woman."

"I'm all for modern, independent women." Mark chuckled, putting his now empty glass down. "What do you say we get the bill and head back to my place?"

"Okay."

What you really wanted to say was that you thought it was be best idea you'd ever heard, but you were trying to play it cool. Judging by Mark's grin, you failed pretty miserably.

Paying for your meal and the drive back to Mark's felt like it took at eternity, and yet, despite how eager and excited you were, when you got back to his apartment, there was no crashing of lips or ripping off of clothes.

Just like you'd said, you were going to take things slow and be careful not to spook him. This was a _huge_ thing for Mark to be willing to try this with you again, and you were going to do your best to make sure he was comfortable every step of the way. 

You'd let him lead you, following him straight to his bedroom - you'd both been silent, filled with nervous anticipation.

When he turned around and shut the door, then looked back to face you, you offered him your most reassuring smile and took a step towards him, your hips naturally swaying since you were wearing heels.

He swallowed nervously, hands twitching at his side. It was still beyond weird to see him so tentative, and so unsure of himself, for all that this had been his suggestion.

Taking another step, you wrapped your arms around him, deliberately pressing your breast into his chest - and it was also still odd being almost as tall as him since you were so used to looking up, but you didn't want to take your heels off just yet.

Pressing a kiss below his ear, you reveled in his soft, needy sigh. Feeling bolder by the second, you kissed his cheek and pulled back to give him a hot look.

"So, I couldn't help but notice you seem to like my dress."

"Uh-huh." Mark grunted, his hands sliding up the slinky material.

"Well, there's a surprise for you underneath." You said saucily.

"I love surprises." He murmured. Pursing your lips and thinking for a second, you turned playfully out of his grip and bared your back to him.

"Unzip me, then go sit on your bed."

"Pushy, pushy." He tutted, but obeyed your request. Shivering as your zip purred down and his fingers caressed the back of your neck, you crossed your arms across your breasts so the top half of the dress wouldn't fall. "I see black lace." He said, his voice hitching.

Looking coquettishly over your shoulder, you gave him your sternest look.

"Go sit on you bed. You're ruining the reveal."

'There's a reveal?" He asked, and you were delighted at how breathless he sounded. You waited patiently until you heard the sound Mark's bedsprings sinking before you slowly turned around.

Uncrossing your arms, you let the top half of your dress fall - for a moment you wished that you were in a movie sex scene, where just pulling the zip down would make the garment slither artfully down, but as it was, you had to bend and shimmy a little to get it past your hips and then let the dress pool on the floor.

The effect wasn't totally lost though, if the look on Mark's face was anything to go by.

"Jesus." Mark said, voice awed.

Of course you'd worn lingerie for him before, but this was the first time you'd gone for the high heel, thigh high, pin up look, and you suddenly wondered why you hadn't done it before.

Taking a ginger step out of the material so you didn't fall ass over - because _that_ would have been hot - Mark actually _whined_ and went to stand, but you quickly stalked over and put your hands firmly on his shoulders.

He was hard, and it must have been painful in his tight jeans, but you would give him relief soon.

"I _like_ my surprise." He growled, his hands seeming way too warm on your naked skin.

"I had hoped so." You beamed, thrilled at his response. "Now, I want you to move up the bed and lie down. Oh, and take your shoes off too."

"But-" He protested as you moved away, his expression falling so fast it was almost comical.

"Shhh, I'm not going far." You soothed as you went to his nightstand drawer and grabbed the bottle of lubricant and after a moments hesitation, a condom too. Better to cross your fingers and hope than totally discard the prospect - hopefully your attempts wouldn't be aborted this time.

When you got back onto the bed, Mark had followed your orders. As the bed creaked at your weight, he reached for you instantly, and you couldn't help but grin that he felt just as needy as you were feeling.

Not wanting to waste a second, you went straight for his pants. Popping the offending button, Mark sighed as his zipper rasped down, and you helped him pull his pants down enough that you could fully reach into his boxer briefs and give his erection a firm squeeze.

He was fully hard, and you felt the tiniest bit guilty you'd left him constricted for so long. You were tempted to tease him more, but changed your mind at the desperation in the way his hips lifted up and his eyes jammed closed, so you tugged the elastic of his boxer briefs down too.

"Lift up for me handsome." You crooned, shimmying his pants and underwear completely off and tossing them aside when he lifted himself up enough for you. He 'whumped' back onto the bed and oh, he made for a lewd and glorious sight, laying there in only his shirt, his thick cock fully hard and aching, beading with fluid at the flushed tip.

Your own underwear was wet, and your whole body felt warm, but all your concentration was currently focused on burning that image into your brain. Leaning over to slowly unbutton his shirt, he keened, hips humping upwards at your deliberate dismissal of his throbbing dick.

"Shhh, I'll get there."

Gently pressing your stocking clad leg between his legs and rocking it up ever-so slowly, you finished with his buttons.

"So, I have an idea." You purred, kissing just beneath his nipple, "and I want to try it on you first." Another kiss, this time just above his belly button, over the line of his scar.

"Oh?" He breathed, muscles tensing as your lips continued downwards.

"You said you wanted to try, and I know you can't bite my neck, but how about if you bit somewhere else?"

"I don't- _oh_." He choked as you kissed just above his pelvis, "where do you mean?"

"I can show you."

It wasn't really an ideal time to be thinking about another man, but when you'd talked to Danny, he had mentioned Ross biting his thigh, and how wonderful that felt, so you were praying that maybe, this could work for the two of you.

"Oh-Okay." Despite his permission, he tensed and you stilled.

"You _sure_ this is okay?" You asked softly, sitting back to you could see his expression. "You can tell me if it isn't."

He hesitated, but opened his eyes and gave you a little nod.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit...nervous."

You could understand that. Well, maybe a distraction was in order.

"I'm going to try this okay, but I need you to tell me if it's not alright. Promise?"

He nodded, letting his eyes flutter shut again.

Steeling yourself to make sure _you_ felt brave enough to go through with your plan, you dripped some lubricant on your fingers and finally set your attention to Mark's long neglected erection.

"Oh!" He wheezed, a mixture of delight and surprise in his expression as you worked the lube from the base to the tip of his shaft.

You squeezed hard, certainly harder than you would have with any other guy, but Mark expression certainly _wasn't_ pain.

Jolting his hips towards you unconsciously, he moaned then sighed. "Feels good." A deep, throaty laugh. "No, actually, it feels amazing."

"Good, good." You purred, keeping your motions steady, teasing along the veins with your thumb. It was tempting to up your pace, but this was about working him up, not getting him off.

You let one of your hands graze gently at his balls as you continued to massage, rotating your wrist up to the head of his cock and swiping your thumb at the fluid beading there. You couldn't help but laugh softly at the noise he made as his hips jerked again.

Releasing his shaft and running your hands up his thighs, you leant in and began peppering the inside of his thigh with soft kisses.

His muscles were tight, eyes shut and his brows furrowed as his hands grasped at his sheets. Feather light, you began to lap and nip at the skin, gripping at his thigh to keep his quivering leg still.

Daring to pull up and peek at him after a particularly fierce nip, you were thrilled to see his mouth flopped open and _oh_ \- you felt a visceral throb of excitement between your own thighs when you saw the undeniable sharpness of his fangs.

Fuck _yes._

Gently, experimentally, you turned your focus back to his leg and bit down, very softly.

"Oh, shit." he groaned, eyes still clamped shut, one of his hands creeping down and curling around his cock, continuing where you'd left off. "Keep doing _that_."

You were _more_ than happy to oblige, ridiculously excited by the sight of his sharp canines peeking over the lip he was now biting as he jacked his weeping cock.

You wondered if he even realised he'd extended them. Probably not, otherwise you were sure he would have been self-conscious about it.

You could care about that later.

Emboldened by his response, you threw it all to the wind and sunk down onto his leg, biting down _hard_ and sucking with all your might. It wasn't even hard enough to break the skin, only to leave a rather severe hickey, but Mark's response was instant.

His entire body seized, arching up as if he'd gotten an electric shock - and he came with long, almost agonised moan, hips thrusting up.

Blinking in shock as you pulled back, you could only stare stupidly at the vivid spot on his leg and the splattering of semen splashed across his stomach.

Well, you hadn't expected _that!_ Jesus, if he got off from that, what would it be like when _he_ bit _you?_

"What the hell?" Mark gasped, panting as he used the sheet corner to wipe at the surprise pool of semen he now found on his stomach. "That was -" He paused when he swallowed, tongue running over his teeth as he realised. "Oh, fuck -" his fingers flew up to his lips, fear creeping into his expression, but you lunged forward, crushing your mouth to his.

He returned this kiss cautiously at first, but after a few seconds, he let your tongue enter his mouth and brush against his. You were careful to avoid cutting yourself on his fangs since you'd done so well so far. When you pulled back from the kiss, you traced your fingers across his lips, gently brushing downwards on his lower lip until he got what you wanted him to do and reluctantly opened his mouth.

"Don't put them away." You begged, grinding against his leg shamelessly. " _Please_."

He made a strangled noise, even as you felt him getting hard again - what had Danny said about refractory periods? - and his pupils dilated as he scented at the thick air.

"So, would you bite me, like I just bit you?" You pleaded, rocking against him as his hands came up to grip your hips. "Please Mark, I want you to-"

You didn't have time to finish your sentence - Mark growled and flipped you so your back was on the bed and he was pinning you into the mattress.

You cried out, thrilled and shocked as he shuffled down the bed and tugged your underwear down, then shoved down one of your stockings to expose more of your thigh.

He didn't pull it off completely, but that was a thought for another time, and you sighed tremulously as his stubble burned along your skin.

Toeing off your heels, they thumped to the floor, but neither of you paid that any mind either when Mark nudged your legs further apart and settled between them.

You were breathing hard, shaking with want, and when you felt the undeniable sharpness of a fang nip, it made you suck in a breath and your heartbeat kick up.

He paused and you could have screamed in frustration. "Is this okay?"

"Oh yeah, yeah. Very okay, _super_ okay." You babbled, deciding that you could feel like a idiot later when your insides weren't fluttering like crazy.

Permission granted, Thick fingers tickled up, then _further_ up and you squeaked softly as he kissed tenderly at your right thigh, then the left.

"Where'd you put the lube?"

His deep voice shook you out of your fuzzy reverie, and you fumbled around until you found the tube and passed it to Mark.

You were going to do tit for tat it seemed, and you were unbelievably happy with that.

Popping the cap on the tube even though he barely even needed it - how wet you were was another thing you could feel embarrassed about later - but Mark was always conscious of your comfort and lube was pretty much always a given during any sexual play between the two of you.

You took a minute to appreciate the sight of Mark totally naked (you weren't even sure when had he had fully taken his shirt off), dick hard again, and fangs visible even as he concentrated on coating his fingers.

Moving back between your legs, your heart surged, hammering against your ribs. You tried not to tense and close your thighs as you felt his breath against your lower lips.

" _Yes_ ," you sighed, running your fingers through his hair. You were praying that he wouldn't pull back this time. You wouldn't stop him if he did - but it felt _so_ good..

Slowly, he pushed a finger inside of you, and laved at your thigh simultaneously.

Oh, fuck, yes, this was _it_.

 _Please-please-please don't stop_ you chanted silently, biting your own lip as you body shook. His mouth was a little unsure, but his fingers moved with certainty, confident in that respect at least. He may never have bitten you before, but he was well versed in the other part of your dance.

He alternated between curling and crooking his fingers inside of you, then sneaking up to tweak at your clitoris in a way that made heat heave from the base of your pelvis and spread through your veins.

As much as you knew him, he knew you too. He knew when to tease you, and when he'd pushed it too far - he knew how deep to press, just how to move his fingers to make you feel amazing. It was weird how this was somehow new and old at the same time, the motions so similar, but the sensations so different when you added the new dimension of his fangs.

You were pushing boundaries, establishing new comfort zones together, learning him in a whole new way that was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. The trust, the intimacy, the thrill - you wanted all of it, all of _him_.

After a few more agonising seconds, Mark stopped then sat back so he could look at you. His finger still buried inside you, it was a _supreme_ effort to focus when he spoke.

"Last chance." He said softly. "Is this what you want?"

 _Last chance_.

He'd said that the first time.

Your mind flashed back to that initial bite, when he'd offered you the same out. Like then, telling him 'no' was the last thing on your mind, but at least this time you weren't lost in worry or fear...No, right now, your whole world was centered on the arousal he was making sizzle through your veins.

"Yes," you sighed, "God, _yes_."

Wordlessly, he settled back down and finally - _finally_ \- he bit into your leg, piercing your skin and sucking firmly.

It hurt, it seared, hot pain juddering down your leg, from your thigh to your foot, and yet, you felt the rush of euphoria too. Lurching up with a delighted gasp, your ass rose clear off the bed, and Mark pulled you closer, lifting you up and beginning to feed in earnest.

Oh, there was no words for the layers of sensation as Mark sucked and kept his fingers working.

Electricity, pain, heat, pleasure - you were dizzy with all the feelings. Your brain was cloudy with want, and you couldn't deny this was much, _much_ better than the first time.

Perhaps it was because you were more mentally prepared...

Or maybe it was his thick fingers and the way they were working you closer to climax with every passing moment.

Okay, so it was most likely that, but you were as hell weren't complaining.

The bite was pulsing, but already starting to ache less, and you could feel the heat of his panted exhalations as he breathed heavily through his nose.

Like when he'd bit from your wrist, his expression was rapturous, and he was swallowing in longing gulps.

"Does it feel good?" You'd never been a dirty talker, and you hadn't even realised you'd said it out loud until Mark grunted out as much of an 'uh-huh' as he could without detaching from your leg.

He sucked, groaning helplessly, even as he slid a second finger inside you - what had you said before? It wasn't just about one person...He was determined to make sure you enjoyed yourself too.

And, oh, enjoying yourself you were.

You were burning closer to orgasm with every movement, every swallow he took, and you honestly didn't know which was turning you on more.

Hips stuttering up towards him with every twitch of his fingers, your whole body was alight, tingling and again, your mouth ran away with you.

"Don't stop." You panted, " _please, don't stop!"_

Did you means his fingers or his mouth?

You weren't sure.

You didn't care.

Thank God he didn't stop to ask.

His fingers sped up and - oh, _oh fuck_ \- you threw your head back and squeezed your eyes shut, panting as the warmth of your orgasm flooded past Mark's fingers and your body shook and fluttered through the tingling pleasure.

Mark lowered you back to the bed, pinned your legs down and moaned, thrusting against the mattress as he withdrew his fingers and pulled away from your leg.

"It's _not_ bullshit." Mark gasped as he licked desperately at the dribbles of blood before they could hit the sheets. "Oh, god. Your blood _does_ taste better."

Fighting the urge to melt into the mattress, you gave his hair a little yank and grinned stupidly. "Told you so."

He lapped for a few more moments before he decided he was done, and shuffled up the bed, leaning above you.

Even though he wiped at his lips before he leant in to kiss you, the taste of blood was still faint in his mouth. You could ignore it, especially when the insistent throb of his erection was - literally - a far more _pressing_ matter.

Relieved that everything had turned out okay - better than okay - you let your hand ghost over his cock, thrilled by his warm chuckle.

"You okay?" You murmured, needing to be sure as you watched him rip open the condom packet and check the tip before rolling it over his shaft. "Nothing terrible happened, right?"

"Yeah," Mark hummed, then laughed. "You gonna say 'I told you so' again?"

"Maybe later." You purred, "I can think of a better way to use my time right now."

"Oh?" He tilted his head to the side, pretending to think about it. "Like what?"

God, it was such a relief to have him back to his normal self.

"How about I _show_ you?" You couldn't smother your grin. "Roll on your back."

Mark's expression was delighted and he grinned at you and obeyed, again swapping your positions and rolling onto his back.

Normally you weren't crazy exciting when it came to sex positions, but you did occasionally like to shake it up, and Mark was rather fond of having you on top.

He did most of the work anyway since he was so strong, but it was a pleasant change, and it made you feel like you were a little more in charge.

Grabbing his cock and straddling his thick thighs, you took a moment to position yourself. Sliding slowly - even with how wet you were, there was always that sensation of being stretched and filled - it took you a few seconds before you were comfortable enough to move.

Your leg still hurt, but not enough to stop you. The skin where Mark had bit you was hot and inflamed, pulsing in time with your heart beat, and Mark's fingers gently traced up, feathering lovingly over the vivid wound before his hands settled one either side of your hips.

With your bun surely looking a like a disaster, still in your bra and with one stocking up and one stocking half down, you were pretty sure you were more disheveled than sexy, but Mark was looking at you like you were a goddess as you sat in his lap, connected to him in the most intimate way possible.

You could feel the heavy throb of his cock inside you, and you could _feel_ the thrum of energy from him. Of course - this was the second time he'd drunk blood today so he was positively buzzing. And yet, like always, he was waiting for your signal, waiting for your okay before he moved.

Bracing your hands on his chest, then lifting up oh-so slightly and sinking back down, you breathed out a shared sigh, not hesitating to repeat the motion again quickly, rolling your hips a little more this time.

Mark purred, low and deep, appreciative as he rocked with you on the next thrust, lifting you. Jeez, once he had the all clear, he was so impatient, not that you really minded it. Letting him lift you up, then pull you back down, you hummed at the sensation. You still shifted with him, but now he was the one expending all the effort.

Muscles bulging in his arms, Mark raised you further up this time, meaning the pull was so much better and his thrust that much deeper when he dragged you back down.

You burbled a startled little giggle. You were grinning like a lunatic, but hot _damn_.

"Like that, huh?" He grunted, his hips jerking off the bed. He knew his own strength, but you could swear he was using a little more than usual. It wasn't hurting you, but this was the sort of sex you were going to feel in the morning.

Mark's grip on your hips became almost bruising, but you were lost as he was - He canted his hips up as you brought yours down, urging him on.

That wonderful heat was building again in your pelvis, curling through your veins and making you giddy with the promise of another orgasm.

_Yes, yes, yes._

You could feel your walls, rippling yet gripping at the same time, drawing Mark deeper into you with every powerful movement. Bracing your hands on his sculpted chest, you rocked with everything you had almost sobbing when your orgasm washed over you like a wave this time, a warm relief to the desperate need, a willing tumble into bliss that you happily took.

Mark was rocking up into you now, pushing into your wet heat and grunting hard, working at lifting you at the same time, even as your strength failed and your arms started to shake. You knew that he was getting close when he started to lose his rhythm, too far gone to keep the concentration up.

Fucking you like it was the last thing he'd ever do, he picked up speed, and only a few moments later, his whole body went taut, his cock pulsing as he buried himself deep inside you with one last thrust.

You were both stunned for a moment staring at each other stupidly before you felt Mark soften inside of you. Gently rolling off of him, careful of how over sensitised you were both feeling, you flopped bonelessly onto the bed beside him.

"Well," Mark exhaled. "That went better than expected."

You hummed in agreement, feeling too lazy to do anything else except lay there in a jelllied heap. Shuffling so your head was resting on his bicep, you let your fingers tickle over the line of his scar.

"Gimme one sec and I'll come back and cuddle." Mark chuckled, turning away from you and getting off the bed. Sliding the condom off and knotting it, Mark made his way to his bathroom.

Stretching when you heard his shower running, you sighed and forced yourself off the bed. Awesome as the sex had been, Mark _had_ used the sheets as an impromptu tissue after his first surprise orgasm, and there were a few little spots of blood that Mark must have missed when he'd bitten you.

Wrinkling your nose, you decided you didn't want to sleep in them, plus you needed to go clean the makeup off your face and find where your clothes had ended up.

Sneaking down to Mark's spare bathroom first, you quickly washed and cleansed your face, then pulled your hair out of the half-bun it was now in. Hair spray was miraculous, but _nothing_ stood a chance against sex like that.

Briefly inspecting your bite, and finding it just as fierce as the one Mark had put on your wrist, you grinned, much less shocked this time and weirdly proud of it. It was a little painful still, but you weren't limping or anything like that.

Padding back to the bedroom, you located your discarded lingerie, grabbed your dress and shoes off the floor and slid into a pyjama shirt and a fresh pair of panties. Clothes accounted for, you began stripping off the sheets. You couldn't deny the throb in your thigh, but it was a pain you were willing to deal with if sex like _that_ was the reward.

"Whatcha doin?" Mark bounced back into the room, clad in fresh pyjama bottoms and a huge beaming grin. You hadn't even heard the shower turn off.

"What does it look like, you goof?" You chuckled. "Can you grab me some fresh sheets?"

"They're in the top of the wardrobe."

"Uh, yeah, I _know_ but I'm too short."

Mark's grin got even bigger. He was taller than you by a good four inches, and hey, he wasn't used to being the tall one, so what did it hurt to stroke his ego?

He puffed his chest out. "Well, I'll just have to get them, won't I?"

He made a show of posturing (you didn't say anything about the fact the he still had to get up on his tiptoes to reach the shelf), then handed the sheets to you with an extravagant flourish.

"Ask and ye shall receive!" He said as he passed them to you.

"My hero," You laughed, rolling your eyes, "now, help me out." You ordered as you shook them out and passed him the corner of the fitted sheet.

It didn't take you long to remake the bed and once you were done, Mark turned the light out and you laid down together. You probably should have had a shower too, but you'd get up early and do that tomorrow. Maybe with some luck, this time you could convince Mark to join you.

Right now, you were just happy to bask in the joy of the fact that Mark had bitten you, and that everything had gone so well...and the warm happy feeling of orgasm, that was pretty nice too.

Grinning and tugging the sheets up, you smothered a yawn as Mark popped a soft kiss on your shoulder. A thought struck you suddenly, and you couldn't help yourself but say it.

"Hey, Mark?"

"Hmm?" He hummed sleepily.

"I told you so."

There was a moments pause, and then Mark started to laugh, softly at first and then harder until he was gasping for breath.

"I knew it was coming! You just couldn't help it, could you?"

There was so much you wanted to say, and it was still uncertain where all this left you in terms of future feeding, but you were suddenly so much more optimistic about your chances. He _couldn't_ just want that to be a one time thing, not when everything had felt so amazing.

Patience, communication and understanding. That's what Danny had told you you'd need. That what _any_ good relationship needed, and even though you'd taken an unbelievable step, you didn't want to jinx anything. There was a hundred things you could have said, but you just laughed and offered him a smart little 'nope' instead.

His fingers were gentle through your hair and even though your thigh was aching - more than your wrist had, for sure - you didn't have a single regret.

Drawing you close, he was still sniggering, and you sighed, kissing at the base of his neck. Who cared if he couldn't even bite you there? What he'd done to you, _with_ you, tonight had been amazing, and he had certainly seemed to enjoy himself too.

"Hey," he said softly, just as you felt yourself starting to doze, "thank you. For everything."

"Any time." You sighed sleepily, your eyelids starting to droop.

"Sounds good to me."

"Huh?" Your eyes flicked open even though you couldn't see his face in the darkness. "You want me too...?" You didn't dare finish the thought.

"Well, you did 'tell me so', didn't you, that everything would be fine with the blood drinking so..."

You laughed, crushing your lips to his, suddenly utterly over the moon.

"Of course," he continued, "we'll still take it slowly, but if this is gonna become a thing, we'll have to arrange for you to visit more often then."

  
"Oh, that sounds _terrible_." You sighed, nuzzling into his chest.

Mark kissed your forehead and even though you wanted to say so much more, you couldn't fight the pull of sleep.

This time though, there wasn't any unease as you drifted off, only elation and excitement for your future, and love for this unbelievable man you had found yourself lucky enough to be with.

That, and the thought that you owed Danny a hug and a huge bag of skittles the next time you saw him.

 

~ * ~

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you spot any mistakes in this chapter, please let me know in the comments! I'm still on a mix of pain killers and antibiotics that make it a little hard to concentrate, so my editing isn't as on point as it would usually be. Or at least that's my excuse! 
> 
> =(^x^)=  
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to split this into two parts so it wasn't too long a read in one go, but part two is in the works. 
> 
> =(^x^)=  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
